Karl Lagerfeld can be accused of a lot of things – narcissism, political incorrectness, insensitivity towards fat people – but to be accused of plagiarism… now that’s a shocker! The double whammy shocker is that the party filing the lawsuit is the retro sneaker company, New Balance!
Uncle Karl is a fashion giant and one of the biggest designers in the industry – but according to New Balance, he has blatantly knocked off their trademark trainer to the dot, including the placement of the logo, only to replace its block lettered N with a K for his eponymous label. (To my eye, however, there are a number of differences between Karl Lagerfeld and New Balance’s designs.)
New Balance states that the kicks have been a company classic since the ’70s, and Karl’s adaptation of their design will cause confusion among their consumers. This, despite the price difference of a little more than $200 between the two styles!
The current trend in the luxury industry is paying homage to unglamorous everyday objects, and I feel New Balance has been a bit hasty in dragging Karl Lagerfeld to the courts. With sneakers quickly becoming the hottest ‘it’ accessory, Karl’s version could be just the boost the trainer company could use to pull it out from the ‘grandfather shoe’ zone!
We’d love to hear what you think – has Karl Lagerfeld copied New Balance’s design or is the sneaker company over reacting?