Local brand spends 'months' on bag prototype only to find similar features on Uniqlo version a year later
'POV: you spent months prototyping a convertible bag, then see the biggest company make it a year later.'
That's the on-screen text in a TikTok video posted by local independent bag brand Analog Company, which has drawn at least 29,400 views and 969 reactions.
The video proceeds to highlight comparisons between Analog Company's Analog Utility Shoulder Bag and Japanese clothing label Uniqlo's latest iteration of its Round Mini Shoulder Bag.
Analog Company's design features fully adjustable straps that allow the bag to be converted into a "compact handheld bag, short shoulder bag, long sling bag, bumbag and a crossbody bag".
The excess strap lengths can also be tucked into pockets on the bottom of the bag.
Stomp's checks revealed that Analog Company began sharing its prototyping process as far back as October 2024, when the brand created a TikTok video highlighting the features of the bag and seeking input from customers on desired colourways.
Based on Analog Company's TikTok updates, the bag was officially launched in February this year.
A unique coincidence?
On Nov 29, Uniqlo Singapore uploaded an Instagram reel announcing updates to its Round Mini Shoulder Bag. Chief among its new features were the adjustable straps and side pockets for users to tuck in excess strap lengths.
Instagram users were quick to point out similarities between the updated Uniqlo bag and Analog Company's version, with some claiming that certain features, such as the convertibility and side pockets, resembled Analog Company's original design ideas.
A handful of users, such as @qlandestined, accused the Japanese fashion brand of "stealing from local designers", calling it a "new low".
This is not the first time this year that Uniqlo has come under fire for producing designs that are similar to that of smaller independent labels.
In May, Uniqlo's local food tees, produced in collaboration with local creatives Tiffany Lovage and Kenneth Seow, attracted controversy for being similar to designs produced by small clothing label Musoka Club.
Stomp reached out to Uniqlo for comment on the design similarities between its Round Mini Shoulder Bag and Analog Company's shoulder bag, and to ask what measures the brand takes when such comparisons arise.
In response, a Uniqlo spokesperson said: "LifeWear is clothing designed to make everyone's life better. It is simple, high-quality, everyday clothing with a practical sense of beauty — ingenious in detail, thought through with life's needs in mind, and always evolving.
"The Uniqlo Round Mini Shoulder Bag exemplifies this approach. It has been a well-loved Uniqlo LifeWear item worldwide since its first release in 2020."
Separately, one netizen flagged that the Analog Utility Shoulder Bag bears resemblance to Lemaire's Soft Game Bag.
The company addressed this directly in a TikTok comment, rejecting the comparison and citing a "geometric shadow in a piece of architecture" as the inspiration for the sewn lines on the bag.
Stomp has reached out to Analog Company for comment.
