Stella McCartney sues Steve Madden Over Handbag Rip Off

Stella McCartney SS15

STEVE MADDEN finds himself in trouble again, this time being taken to court by UK designer Stella McCartney.

It has always been a difficult line to cross when does a high street copy of a design cross the threshold to trademark infringement.

LEFT: STELLA MCCARTNEY FALABELLA BAG; RIGHT: STEVE MADDEN BTOTALLY BAG

All the major brands have at one time or another challenged this. High street retailers like H&M and Zara and  have become giants in the apparel industry by mass producing runway-derivative styles at wallet-friendly prices. Also vice versa: Saint Laurent was recently accused of knocking off a Forever 21 dress and selling it for 150 times the original price.

LEFT: STELLA MCCARTNEY FALABELLA BAG; RIGHT: STEVE MADDEN BTOTALLY BAG

Stella McCartney has an idea on the matter. The UK-based designer has filed a lawsuit against Steve Madden for copying her popular Falabella bag just a little too closely with his BTotally bag. According to WWD, the 22-page legal document cites the charges against Madden as "trade dress infringement, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, trade dress dilution, and design patent infringement" involving the "marketing and sale of a knock-off".

This is not a new issue and Steve Madden Ltd were sued last year by Balenciaga for doing much the same thing.

But, when is a high street copy a knock-off?


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