What's Up With RHOSLC's Whitney Rose Stealing Designs From Alibaba?

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5 is already starting off hot as the women continue to gossip behind each other's backs and take sides. However, the most damning narrative to start the brand-new season revolved around Whitney Rose and her jewelry business, Prism.

Cast member Meredith Marks has had it in for Whitney since the premiere episode after she accused her so-called friend of copying her bath bomb business. In a later episode, Meredith shares a nasty rumor that Whitney steals her jewelry designs from a Chinese-owned marketplace called Alibaba. So, what's the lowdown on Whitney's jewelry line and is she upselling her designs to her customers?

Is Whitney Rose Scamming Her Customers? Meredith Marks Thinks So

The premiere of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5 did not disappoint. One of the major fights early on in this season saw the women doubting Whitney Rose's jewelry line, Prism. Most notably, Meredith Marks questioned Whitney's "custom designs" for her jewelry line after she believed she copied them from one of the world's largest wholesale websites called Alibaba.

Meredith and Whitney have been at odds for quite some time, so it doesn't come as a surprise that these two are butting-heads in Season 5. In Episode 3, Meredith takes Heather Gray aside to confront her about Whitney's jewelry designs. She shared that there are rumors in which Whitney is taking designs from Alibaba —which sells products very cheap — and making them her own. She is also believed to be upcharging her customers with these same designs. Photos shown side-by-side of Alibaba's jewelry and Prism show that not only are the necklaces the same, but so are the way they are displayed.

Heather states in a confessional, "Rumors like this can really hurt a business. So I think Whitney should know so she could start doing damage control." And, instead of Meredith confronting Whitney, it's Heather who drops the bombshell rumor in Episode 4, where the women find themselves in Milwaukee for a girl's trip.

Later in the episode, during a bus ride to the Harley-Davidson Museum where the women are having dinner, Whitney confronts the women. Telling them that she is hearing rumors they are speaking negatively about her business, Meredith is the first to speak up. However, she tells Whitney that she did not start the rumor, but she just saw it online and would help Whitney in any way she could.

Awkwardly, at dinner, Whitney gives all the ladies one of her jewelry pieces she calls "custom." "I wanted to gift these to you earlier, but then I find out you're all taking about it, so that's why I was emotional." Again, the women find themselves in a heated confrontation.

How Whitney Might Be Telling The Truth About The Nasty Rumors About Prism

So is Whitney scamming her customers? It's been heavily stated that Alibaba is known for stealing designs from the original artist or business and creating their own versions. These items are manufactured and sold by Alibaba for pennies. That could be the case in Whitney's situation.

According to a BuzzFeed article, small businesses get hit hard when a company like Alibaba steals their designs. These sites even go as far as using the same exact images. For example, the outlet shared that children's clothing owner Tannia Ospina had an image of her 2-year-old daughter modeling one of her designs which was for sale. She later learned that AliExpress copied that image and several others, and was selling that item for next to nothing.

Could Whitney just be another victim to Alibaba? The reality TV star stands firm that her designs are her own despite the women of RHOSLC questioning how strange it is that the jewelry is just so similar to that of the wholesale's website.

Here's What RHOSLC Fans Think Of Whitney's Jewelry Line

In a YouTube video that breaks down Whitney's designs and Alibaba's, fans learn that the reality TV star's zodiac pendant necklaces are sold for $49 on her website. On AliExpress, the same necklaces are sold for just $3.96. AliExpress even uses the exact same picture as Prism. In fact, several other jewelry pieces from Prism have allegedly been counterfeited by the wholesale website. A similiar cross necklace on the Prism website is being sold for $1 on AliExpress.

Whitney's jewelry conspiracy is talked about in a Reddit thread that sees users taking sides. Some users defend Whitney in stating that sites like Alibaba and AliExpress are known for stealing product designs. Others believe that Whitney should be "up front with your customers about where you source your product and what it's made of," especially if the housewives star is buying from wholesale and simply marking up her prices.

"What someone needs to do is order a few things from Whitney and then a few things from these other websites and compare the quality. Because I'd be really surprised if the same items arrived."

That doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. Still, it seems that the drama surrounding Whitney and Prism will continue to be discussed in Season 5.