Aquazzura Files A Lawsuit Against Steve Madden

The high-end brand is suing the high street designer for copyright infringement

Aquazzura has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Steve Madden in the States, their second legal proceeding this week after filing against Ivanka Trump for the same reasons.

The brand alleges that Ivanka Trump took a little more than just inspiration from their “Wild Thing” heels and flat out copied the design, and has accused Steve Madden of doing the same thing with his Shrliet, Sassy and Lecrew designs which they say are copies of Aquazzura’s Sexy Thing, Wild Thing and Christy styles. 

One of the most disturbing things in the fashion industry is when someone blatantly steals your copyright designs and doesn't care. You should know better. Shame on you @ivankatrump! Imitation is NOT the most sincere form of flattery. #aquazzura #ivankatrump Proud of mine #madeinitaly #italiansdoitbetter

A photo posted by Aquazzura by Edgardo Osorio (@aquazzura) on Mar 4, 2016 at 5:30am PST

This isn’t the first time Aquazzura has called Steve Madden (and others) out, with the brand claiming they have complained to Madden’s camp since 2013 about the blatant copying of their original designs but with no luck, hence the lawsuit. 

Aquazzura’s CEO Jean-Michel Vigeau released a statement saying, “This is not the first time Aquazzura has filed a suit against a brand that uses its designs. We will continue to fight and try to stop these actions. Authenticity and originality are at the core of our brand and we will defend them at all costs. We truly trust the law over the protection of these values.”

The high street is notorious for copying the designs of high-end designers and bringing them to consumers well ahead of when the runway collections hit stores. Could this be another step (literally) in the direction of a “see now, buy now” movement? – Maddison Glendinning