Danielle Bernstein
Danielle Bernstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1992 |
| Occupation(s) | Fashion entrepreneur, blogger |
| Known for | Creator of WeWoreWhat |
Danielle Bernstein (born May 28, 1992) is an American fashion entrepreneur and creator of the blog and brand WeWoreWhat, which she initiated during her second year at college. She has partnered with various companies and launched multiple fashion collections. Bernstein has been accused by smaller designers of replicating their work, allegations she and her legal team have consistently refuted.
Early life and education
After graduating from William A. Shine Great Neck South High School in 2010, Bernstein briefly studied retail at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before transferring to New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology. She eventually left school to dedicate herself fully to expanding her blog into a business venture.
Bernstein is Jewish and openly supports Israel. In 2023, she endorsed the "No Hostage Left Behind" open letter calling on US President Joe Biden to facilitate the release of hostages taken during the October 7 attacks.
Career
Bernstein started WeWoreWhat in 2011 initially as a street-style photography project, which soon transformed into a personal style blog as her Instagram account @WeWoreWhat gained popularity. In 2016, she launched Second Skin Overalls, a direct-to-consumer line that earned $70,000 within three hours. By 2017, at age 24, Bernstein was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. That same year, she collaborated with Onia on an exclusive swimwear collection sold through Intermix, followed by two more joint projects.
Building on these achievements, Bernstein introduced her own swimwear line with Onia in 2019 and teamed up with premium denim label Joe's Jeans to release the Danielle Jean style. In 2020, she unified her product range under Shop WeWoreWhat, which includes swimwear, denim, overalls, and activewear.
In the fall of 2019, Bernstein established Moe Assist, a technology company offering influencer-centric product management and payment solutions. March 2020 saw the launch of the Danielle Bernstein brand exclusively at Macy's featuring a size-inclusive spring collection priced below $100 and modeled by real followers to highlight inclusivity.
Bernstein's memoir, This is Not a Fashion Story: Taking Chances, Breaking Rules, and Being a Boss in the Big City, was published in May 2020. It appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list but was later scrutinized for suspicious bulk purchases.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Bernstein created WeGaveWhat, a charitable platform supporting small businesses and frontline workers. The initiative has raised over $200,000 and donated thousands of masks and meals. A collaboration with artist Sara Sidari resulted in a coloring book with all proceeds benefiting the River Fund.
In September 2020, Bernstein tested positive for coronavirus amid public backlash over socializing without a mask in the Hamptons during pandemic restrictions.
Allegations of design imitation
Bernstein has encountered several accusations regarding design copying. In 2018, she faced backlash for allegedly duplicating jewelry designs from brands such as Foundrae while launching a collection with Nordstrom. She issued a public apology and removed the items from sale. In 2020, she introduced a cloth face mask featuring a chain resembling a patent-pending design by Latino brand Second Wind; despite previously requesting samples from them, Bernstein denied any copying. Shortly thereafter, she shared plans to recreate vintage gym shorts that were actually sourced from an Australian Etsy seller; she later acknowledged the mistake and canceled production.
In August 2020, a lingerie boutique in Brooklyn accused Bernstein of replicating their distinctive tissue packaging design for her swimwear line and wallpaper prints. Later that year, Bernstein previewed a Macy’s holiday collection including a black patent leather skirt paired with a corset top that designer Khala Whitney of Grayscale claimed was copied from her work. Whitney provided evidence of prior communications and purchases; neither Bernstein nor Macy’s issued statements regarding these claims.
In January 2021, former employees of Onia alleged that Bernstein brought in products from brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Are You Am I for replication purposes. In March 2021, Ngoni Chikwenengere of We Are Kin accused Bernstein of copying one of his silk dresses; despite being aware of Bernstein’s controversies, Chikwenengere sent the dress hoping to gain exposure. Bernstein denied these allegations.
Dispute with Poshmark Seller
In January 2020, a reseller on Poshmark inadvertently listed unreleased swimwear prototypes from Bernstein's collaboration with Onia. These items had been acquired at Goodwill after being donated by an employee of a showroom. Bernstein and the reseller reached an agreement to remove the listings and return the merchandise to Bernstein; however, disagreements emerged regarding the reimbursement, specifically whether it should reflect Goodwill's purchase price or the reseller’s asking price. With concerns about her forthcoming collection launch, Bernstein reached out directly to Poshmark’s CEO to halt further sales. Meanwhile, a Change.org petition titled "Pledge to Boycott Poshmark if they Continue to Allow the Bullying of Small Business" attracted significant support. Eventually, Bernstein and the reseller came to a resolution by providing the reseller with items from an earlier collection to sell at a higher value, settling the dispute.