McQueen Sues Madden – Footwear News – WWD.com
Sigh…let the Style Wars begin. I’m not even going to ask what the fashion world is coming to because knock-offs and counterfeits have been an abominable force in the fashion and apparel industry for quite a while now. Yet, the details of this Alexander McQueen vs. Steve Madden lawsuit read like a page from Dana Thomas’ book, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. The charge: trade dress infringement.
McQueen Sues Madden – Footwear News – WWD.com
Usually, there may be a slight difference in the knock-off item – perhaps a fringe or buckle where the original has a snap or zipper. But Madden’s Seryna bootie truly does look exactly the same as McQueen’s Faithful (pictured above). Judge the similarities for yourself.
This episode (as in drama) raises two questions in my mind: with all of his “runway-inspired designs”, is this really the first pair of shoes that Steve Madden produced that are a counterfeit of the original? And how is it that he was able to avoid getting busted for this before?
In any economy, a story like this makes a valid case for buying from sample sales, invite-only online sites, and off-price retailers as opposed to spending thousands on the “real thing”. I’m just saying…
