Derek Lam accuses Ivanka Trump of copying shoe design

Derek Lam's Ayami sandal (left) and Ivanka Trump's Cadie sandal (right).

Fashion designer Derek Lam is taking legal action against Ivanka Trump, claiming a sandal that's part of her footwear line is a copy of one of his designs.

WWD reports that Lam's legal team sent a cease-and-desist order to Trump's shoe company, Ivanka Trump Footwear, and its distributor, Marc Fisher Footwear, demanding that the company pull the shoe from stores within seven days.


Remember, when the issue first raised it's head Derek Lam's legal team sent Ivanka Trump a cease-and-desist letter yesterday regarding her Cadie wedge sandals, which look exactly like his Ayami wedge sandals (their retail prices: $150 and $780, respectively). Lam's lawyers have given Trump's company, Ivanka Trump Footwear, and its licensee Marc Fisher Footwear, seven days to pull the shoes from shelves.

WWD reports:

“We have seen very similar copies before but we have never seen a shoe that perfectly copied,” said Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, chief executive officer of Derek Lam. “It’s such an investment to make a shoe … we had to protest this.”

Schlottmann said one of his shoe designers, who was shopping on bloomingdales.com, saw Trump’s wedge and alerted him immediately.

“I actually ordered them, but I haven’t received them yet,” he said, noting that the sandal is nowhere to be found on Trump’s Web site. “I’m sure Ms. Trump doesn’t know her wedge is copy because it’s through a license.”

Meanwhile, Lam's lawyers are combing through sales records of Trump's Cadie wedge, which implies that they might sue for damages. Well, here we are the New Year and the drama continues. Marc Fisher Footwear, the licensing company behind Ivanka Trump's shoe line, has refused to cooperate with Derek Lam's cease-and-desist letter regarding a look-alike sandal. Lam CEO Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann accused Trump's company of "blantantly" copying their Ayami wedge shoe on Wednesday, and Lam's lawyers demanded that all of Trump's Cadie wedges be pulled from shelves within seven days. But yesterday, Marc Fisher Footwear announced that they have no intention of meeting these demands.

WWD reports:

“The Lam wedge sandals are of a popular design type that has been used by numerous manufacturers for many decades. There is nothing iconic about the appearance of the Lam sandal,” a representative from Marc Fisher told WWD. “The Ivanka Trump sandals prominently display the Ivanka Trump name, and there can be no confusion as to the source of the Ivanka Trump sandals. Therefore, Marc Fisher Footwear, the licensee of the Ivanka Trump brand, strongly denies Lam’s claims.”

Ivanka Trump attends the premiere of "The Way" on Oct. 5, 2011, in New York.

 (Credit: Getty)

Lam claims that Trump's Cadie wedge sandals, which retail for $150, are too similar to his Ayami wedge sandals, which sell for $780, according to the report. (You can see the shoes side-by-side here.)

Derek Lam CEO Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann told WWD that one of the company's shoe designers spotted Trump's sandals while shopping on Bloomingdales.com.

"We have seen very similar copies before but we have never seen a shoe that perfectly copied," he said. "It's such an investment to make a shoe ... we had to protest this."

Marc Fisher Footwear denied the claims on Thursday.

"The Lam wedge sandals are of a popular design type that has been used by numerous manufacturers for many decades," the company said in a statement, obtained by People magazine. "There is nothing iconic about the appearance of the Lam sandal."

Trump, who stars alongside her father, Donald Trump, on "The Celebrity Apprentice," also designs eponymous lines of jewelry and handbags.

Unseemly conflicts like this one are usually settled quietly between the respective parties, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming weeks. 

Wonder who's handbags will be "similar" in design?

Thanks WWD & NYC Mag