Chapter11:The 27,500$ Lie

The email that was supposed to be $27,500 turned out to be $0 at 8:47 AM Tuesday.

Julie opened her laptop at JulieLUXURY LOFT with iced coffee, extra shot, plus extra extra shot because she had stayed up until 3 AM fulfilling the  order, sewing 100 black hoop dresses with Keisha and Amira and Lisa — yes, Lisa, former hater turned employee, now best steamer in Newark because guilt makes you work hard — 100 dresses, $27,500 wholesale, $275 each, math she had done 47 times on calculator, $27,500 minus fabric $8,000 minus labor $3,000 minus shipping $500 = $15,000 profit, first real profit that would let her pay health insurance for Keisha and Amira and still have money left to buy her mother new fridge.

Email from Vivian Park, Net-A-Porter buying director, subject line: RE: ORDER #JULIE-100 — CORRECTION.

Julie, Thanks for your enthusiasm and for the quick turnaround on samples. However, there seems to be misunderstanding. Our team approved 10 pieces at $275 for test, not 100 pieces. $2,750 total, not $27,500. The 100 pieces figure was internal projection, not approved PO. Also, we noticed your black hoop design is similar to our private label design in development, Newark Hoop Dress, launching next month. To avoid confusion, we will need to pause your order until legal reviews similarity. Apologies for confusion. - Vivian.

Julie read it three times, each time slower, each time colder, each time more Newark.

Similar to private label? Pause order? $2,750 not $27,500? That was rent for three months, that was health insurance, that was her mother's fridge.

She called Vivian, no answer. Emailed back, no answer. Called Net-A-Porter main line, transferred to voicemail. Sent DM on  to Vivian's assistant who posted about her store, seen, no reply. Classic corporate ghosting after stealing design, classic big company stealing from small Black-owned boutique in Newark, classic luxury industry move: see small designer on T****k, copy design, produce in factory in China for $20, sell for $450 as your own private label, claim you were developing it already.

She called Tommy, not crying, angry, which is worse, because when Julie from Newark is angry, she is quiet, not loud, quiet angry is dangerous angry.

They stole my design, she said, voice flat, reading email. Net-A-Porter. Vivian. The $27,500 was lie. They are launching my dress as their private label. My black hoop dress with gold hoops sewn on. The one I made at 3 AM. The one Lisa stole and influencer tried to sell as dupe. Now billion-dollar company stealing it.

Tommy was silent for five seconds, which for Tommy, who talks fast in CEO meetings, is long.

Send me thier email, he said, voice cold, CEO cold, not brother cold, billionaire cold, the voice he uses when board tries to screw him. Don't post on T****k yet. Don't post on I*******m. Don't do anything Newark yet. Let me do Tribeca. Let me do Asher Capital. Let me call my lawyer who married his dog's psychic and won. And let me call Net-A-Porter's parent company, Yoox Net-A-Porter, whose board member is my father's friend from Greek club. They will answer me when they don't answer you, because that's how luxury works, but we will make them answer.

Two hours later, Avi arrives with Miriam Klein in person, both in suits, both not smiling, both carrying briefcases, which in Newark boutique that sells $450 dresses is like FBI raiding corner store.

Miriam reads email, reads Julie's original design sketches dated July 10th with timestamp on iPad, reads Vivian's email claiming private label in development, says, Classic, they have no sketches dated before July 10th, they saw your T****k on Day 121 with 250k views, they copied within 48 hours, they have factory in Portugal, not China, faster, they can launch in 3 weeks, they think you are small, you have no trademark, no lawyer, no money to sue, so they can bully.

Julie says, I have trademark pending, filed last week after you told me, remember, you said trademark black hoop dress.

Miriam nods, Yes, pending, filed July 15th, which is before their internal private label date they will fake, which will be July 18th or 19th, we can prove they saw your T****k July 14th, we have screen recording of their assistant liking your video, we have everything, we can send cease and desist today, plus we can file emergency injunction to stop their launch next month.

Cost? Julie asks, because she has $4k profit, not $40k legal fees.

Tommy answers, not Miriam, Cost is on me, Asher Capital Ventures, because clause 4 of Chosen Family Contract: I fund your first  show up to $100k, no approval needed, but also clause we add now, Amendment 2: I fund protection of your designs, because you are family business, Asher family protects family business, like Eleni said when you were robbed, remember, my mother said that, and my mother is never wrong about family business, she built Asher Capital with my father from nothing, from boat.

Eleni arrives at noon, fur coat again, even though September, even though 70 degrees, because Eleni wears fur when she is ready for war, and she is ready for war now for her daughter.

Who is Vivian Park? she asks, looking at email, pronouncing Park like she is spitting, Park, is she Korean? Greek? What is she? She steals from my daughter? My daughter's dress? My daughter's design that my daughter made with hands that my daughter learned from me how to fold scarves? No. No.

She calls someone on phone, speaks Greek, fast, angry, then switches to English, Hello, Yannis, it's Eleni Asher, Stavros's wife, yes, his widow, I need favor, Net-A-Porter board, yes, your cousin is on board, yes, tell him his mother's friend Eleni calls, and her daughter's design was stolen, and if he doesn't fix in 24 hours, I will come to London myself and wear fur in summer and sit in his office until he fixes, yes, thank you, Yannis, Kalimera.

She hangs up, looks at Julie, says, 24 hours, they will call, they always call when Greek mother calls, because Greek mothers are scarier than lawyers.