YouTuber Laura Lee Accused of Stealing an Australian Brand’s Name and Logo

Popular YouTuber Laura Lee found herself in hot water over allegations that she had stolen an Australian swimwear brand’s name and logo for her clothing boutique, Minim LA.

Lee, who has a substantial following of 1.7 million followers, had initially launched her clothing brand in 2020 under the name Nudie Patootie. It was a self-funded, contemporary fashion line, that included loungewear, sweaters, earrings, hats, outerwear, dresses, and more.

But in 2022, the influencer was compelled to rebrand her boutique due to trademark issues. Her fans approved of the rebranded Minim LA as they thought the new name and appearance were more groovy and that it focused on modern basics and body care products.

However, on October 22, 2023, the founder of the Australian swimwear company Minimaa, Taylor Dodds, accused Lee of stealing her brand name and logo. 

Laura Lee was accused of stealing an Australian brand’s name and logo. (Source: TikTok)

While Dodds did not directly name Lee, she posted her own logo side by side with Minim LA’s, leaving little doubt in viewers’ minds about whom she was referring to. In her TikTok video, Dodds expressed her disappointment at the similarity between the two logos.

She stated, “There’s nothing more disappointing than pouring your heart, soul, and bank account into a business only to have a massive US influencer completely steal your branding. Like you cannot tell me that this is not the same thing.”

In the next video, Dodds pointed out that she launched her business in 2021, whereas Lee had rebranded her business in 2022, clearly indicating that her brand came first. 

“I launched my business in 2021. This other creator rebranded their business in 2022. Obviously, that means that mine came first,” she said.

Dodds asserted that since she didn’t follow Lee and wasn’t aware that she had a brand, she was unaware of the branding similarities until recently.

She expressed, “The other creator is not someone that I choose to follow. Um, I don’t keep up with their life. I didn’t even know they had a brand. Someone showed me the branding, um, literally only a day before I posted the video.”

The online community responded to the debate with much attention and support, and Dodds expressed her appreciation for the outpouring of support.

Brief bio on Laura Lee 

Laura Lee, a YouTuber and beauty influencer, was born in Montgomery, Alabama, and grew up with two siblings, an older brother and a sister. 

Before starting her YouTube channel, she worked as a medical assistant for a dermatologist in her hometown and also worked as a preschool teacher. 

In 2013, she launched her YouTube channel, where she shared makeup tutorials, beauty hacks, and product reviews. Her career continued to thrive as she collaborated with prominent makeup brands like Too Faced and Violet Voss in 2016. 

In April 2017, she created her lipstick shade with MAC Cosmetics. In the same year, she joined forces with Benefit Cosmetics, becoming the face of their Benefit Island Collection.

The peak of her beauty career came with the launch of her makeup brand, Laura Lee Los Angeles, in September 2017. She also released her eye shadow palette, Cat’s Pajamas, in 2017, followed by her second palette, Nudie Patootie, in 2018.

However, in August 2018, Laura faced a significant controversy when her past racist tweets from 2012 resurfaced. She admitted her mistake and issued an apology video, but it was criticized by many as hypocritical. 

The fallout resulted in the loss of over 300,000 subscribers and several sponsorships. In 2019, she posted a follow-up video to address the situation and offer a more heartfelt apology to her audience.

In the fall of 2020, Lee launched her second company, Nudie Patootie, a self-funded contemporary fashion line that was later rebranded to Minim LA.