Nocturnal's Daniel Kiyoi Wants Brands to Rethink Inspiration, Not Cancel Yise Beauty

The bag at the center of the dispute is not a Nocturnal invention. The asymmetrical knot bag, which closes by threading its longer handle through its shorter one, draws on centuries-old Japanese wrapping traditions.

Kiyoi said he chose to speak publicly about his experience with Yise Beauty in order to open a wider conversation about copying and inspiration, both within beauty and in other industries.

Asked about a video by Sims on Wide Awake, Kiyoi said his first response to any copying claim is to dig into the details and decide whether the claims hold up. He added that he avoids commenting immediately when he has little information beyond what a video states, and said the person featured in that video had copied him before, making it notable to see her discuss being copied herself.

In his own video, Kiyoi said he had sent his bag to someone working with the brand, and that the link was clear to him. He stressed that he did not want the video to focus solely on that case.

Kiyoi said he is connected to many people on the brand side and wants them to consider the inspiration they pull from in boardrooms and the speed at which they act on it. In a digital environment where almost everything is accessible, he said, it is easy to take a screenshot and have someone in a meeting propose making something similar to boost sales.

The problem, he said, is that inspiration is sometimes taken from objects carrying very specific meaning — in his case, a cultural one — which he does not believe should be duplicated simply because it is cute or has gone viral.