New Balance is the latest sneaker company to bite back against luxury brands ripping off its designs. According to TMZ, the brand is suing German fashion lord Karl Lagerfeld over his liberal usage of the NB aesthetic, specifically the side letter hit, on a $360 pair of Lagerfeld trainers. The turn of events suggests that sneaker companies aren’t exactly appreciative of the sort of high fashion rip approach that’s been rampant lately in the luxury sneaker world (Common Projects, Givenchy, and Céline are all guilty of this as well). You have to also wonder whether or not New Balance will be chasing down the likes of Hender Scheme, who have a sneaker that’s basically just a $900 NB 1300 without the logo. See some of the evidence after the click and let us know if you think sneaker companies should be a little bit more lenient as far as luxury borrowings of their designs.
Source: TMZ
Above, the Karl Lagerfeld sneaker that sparked the lawsuit
Above, a high end sneaker from Hender Scheme that also borrows heavily from New Balance
