Derek Lam claims Ivanka Trump copied his work
On Wednesday, Derek Lam's legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to Ivanka Trump Footwear and Marc Fisher Footwear, stating that Trump has seven days to pull the offending shoes from all retailers.
In the latest episode of the never-ending saga of fashion knockoffs:
A Derek Lam shoe designer was shopping on bloomingdales.com, when he stumbled upon Ivanka Trump's Cadie wedge sandals. Alarmed at the outright similarities between Trump's shoes and his Ayami wedges, the designer immediately reported it to his CEO Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, says WWD.
Left, Derek Lam's Ayami Wedge. Right, the offending shoe from Ivanka Trump. (Images courtesy of Polyvore, Bloomingdales)
On Wednesday, Derek Lam's legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to Ivanka Trump Footwear and Marc Fisher Footwear, stating that Trump has seven days to pull the offending shoes from all retailers.
"We have seen very similar copies before but we have never seen a shoe that perfectly copied," said Schlottmann. He continued, "It's such an investment to make a shoe… we had to protest this."
The situation is further aggravated by the sales price of Trump's wedge at $150, compared to Lam's sandal at $780. That's a $630 difference for practically the same exact shoe. The legal team has requested that Ivanka Trump shell out past and future sales records of the shoe, which could indicate a potential, pending lawsuit.
On the bright side, the CEO did note that Ivanka Trump the model, mogul-daughter businesswoman, was most likely unaware of the copied design, as is the case typically with celebrity fashion lines.
What are your thoughts? The shoes look remarkably similar, no?