Ivanka Trump Sued By Aquazzura Over Replica Shoes
Ivanka Trump is being sued by Italian shoe line Aquazzura. According to a complaint filed in a Manhattan federal court this week, Trump is accused of using the design for Aquazzura’s $785 Wild Thing sandals as a blueprint for her company’s Hettie sandals. Although the designs are undeniably similar, the Hetti sandals retail for just $145.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is Aquazzura right to pursue Ivanka Trump for copyright infringement? https://t.co/lhl6SF18mG pic.twitter.com/Dug5ZzHJu5
— VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) June 23, 2016
The Marc Fisher company, which manufactures Ivanka Trump’s shoe line, admitted the Hetti and Wild Thing sandals are similar. However, CFO Matthew Burris said both designs are simply “representative of a trending fashion style,” Therefore, in his opinion, the design “is not subject to intellectual property law.”
As reported by Vanity Fair, Burris suggests Ivanka Trump is being sued as part of an ill-conceived publicity stunt. However, as evidenced in the text of the complaint, the Plaintiff believes it is a serious matter.
“Seeking the same success Aquazzura experienced but without having to put in the hard creative work, Defendants resorted to knocking off Plaintiff’s popular designs. Defendants have copied nearly every detail of Plaintiff’s well-known and coveted Wild Thing Shoe, from the shape and silhouette to the fringe covering the toes, to the tassel on the heel.”
The daughter of presidential hopeful Donald Trump and his former wife Ivana, Ivanka Trump began modeling with Elite Model Management at the age of 14. Over the next two years, her resume included several Tommy Hilfiger advertisements, an impressive spread in Elle magazine, and the cover of Seventeen.
Ivanka also showed promise as a runway model, appearing in Paco Rabanne’s fashion show before the age of 16. However, she was not interested in pursuing a career as a model.
During an interview with the Guardian, Trump said she simply did not fit in with the other models, who were “the meanest, cattiest… girls on the planet … entitled, unsupervised, undereducated, pampered teenagers whose every success came as the direct result of someone else’s disappointment.”
Following her high school graduation, Ivanka Trump attended Wharton business school with the goal of owning her own business. Although her famous father offered her a position working for him, she opted for an entry-level position with the Forest City real estate development firm, where she was paid only $50,000 per year.
Ivanka Trump later joined her father in running the family business. However, she has also continued to pursue her own interests. In addition to her shoe line, Donald Trump’s daughter has also designed handbags, scarves, and other types of accessories and clothing.
STILETTO STEALER: Suit claims @IvankaTrump stole high-end heel designs from Italian label https://t.co/SxrWAXukhb pic.twitter.com/5sCrHdDTHL
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) June 23, 2016
Ivanka Trump is now being sued for using a questionable design for a pair of shoes.
Unfortunately, the heiress’ shoes are not her first product to become a point of controversy. In April, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled an estimated 20,000 Ivanka Trump scarves that were deemed to be a fire hazard.
According to reports, the designer scarves did “not meet the federal flammability standards for clothing textiles, posing a burn risk.” Although nobody was burned while wearing the scarves, the commission issued the recall as a precaution.
Although Donald Trump has faced stark criticism and ongoing controversy amid his presidential campaign, his daughter Ivanka has shown unwavering support.
In a 2015 interview with Business Insider, Ivanka Trump defended her father against accusations that he discriminates against women in particular.
“Look, my father is very blunt, he is very direct. He is not gender specific in his criticism of people… I don’t think that he is gender targeted at all. I wouldn’t be a high-level executive in his organization if he felt that way. He has always supported and encouraged women.”
Despite his daughter’s defense of his “blunt” personality, Donald Trump and his campaign remain a point of heated debate. This week, his daughter Ivanka Trump is facing her own controversy, as she is being sued over the design of at least one product in her shoe line.
[Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Images]
