Pakistani fashion designer Maria B is once again under fire, this time over a dispute with Turkish content creator Turkan Atay, who claims she was not fully compensated for a brand collaboration.
Atay, a prominent social media influencer with over 850,000 Instagram followers, recently went public with accusations against Maria B’s team regarding a brand shoot conducted in Turkey earlier in 2025. According to Atay, she was approached by the designer’s representatives for a shoot where she would charge per outfit to cover local production expenses.
Despite successfully completing the project, Atay says she received only partial payment. She alleges that Maria B’s team later disputed the original agreement, asserting that payment terms were based on social media reels rather than per outfit as initially discussed.
In a video shared with her followers, Atay stated, “It’s been three months. They’ve wasted my time, avoided full payment, and acted unprofessionally.” She also claimed that the designer’s team deleted prior communication after her husband attempted to resolve the issue.
This isn’t the first time Maria B has faced controversy involving Turkey. In August 2024, she was accused of plagiarism related to her “Palestine Collection.” The collection, which aimed to show solidarity with Palestine, included designs featuring symbols such as the keffiyeh and watermelon motif. However, it quickly faced backlash for allegedly commercializing a humanitarian crisis.
The situation escalated when artist Leena Ghani accused Maria B of copying a design originally created by Turkish artist Hacı Balina Atölye. The artwork, which depicted a child, olive branches, and the map of Palestine, had previously appeared on the Instagram page Palestine Quebec.
Maria B responded to the accusations on Instagram, claiming the design was used “unintentionally” and attributing the oversight to the fast-moving nature of digital content.
