We take a look at fashion’s biggest lawsuits.
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Fashion is a beautiful thing. Don’t you get a nice feeling inside when you think about it? Sitting front row at runway shows, choosing every day outfits, or a long night of retail therapy – how can you go wrong? Well, something so beautiful is bound to have a dark side.
And we’ve found it – fashion lawsuits.
Designer clothes are expensive to begin with but throw in a few lawyers and you’re up millions of dollars.
The most recent fashion brand to see the inside of a court room is lingerie company Maidenform.
Its Shapewear line boasts the ability to smooth skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite through caffeine in the under garments but according to two New York women, this is far from the truth and they sued.
So wait – this underwear is supposed to maintain your skin’s moisture, firmness, and zap away your fat? Apparently Maidenform is all talk and no action.
According to Courthouse News: “The Federal Trade Commission calls such claims ‘about as credible as a note from the Tooth Fairy’.”
Our verdict: thinking your underwear is going to give you your dream body is pretty crazy. Gym membership anyone?
One of the scariest legal incidents was when the Hells Angels gang sued Alexander McQueen. You wouldn’t want to have bikies after you at the best of times but when they’re angry about a copyright infringement? Watch out.
Hells Angels claimed that a skull motif McQueen used on a dress, purse, scarf, and ring was an exact replica of the gang’s signature logo.
A lawyer for the bikers told The Daily Mail that “if you’ve got one of these rings on, a member might get really upset that you’re an impostor”.
Is a brawl with a bikie worth that statement ring? For $US495, you can find out.
Everyone knows that red sole shoes mean Christian Louboutin. The shoe designer was granted a trademark for their unique soles in 2008, yet in 2011, Yves Saint Laurent released a red pump – which also had a red sole.
Uh oh.
YSL was sued and the trial lasted over a year. Finally, the judge decided that since the entire shoe was red, YSL were allowed to keep this one design. Louboutin was satisfied and YSL could continue to make monochromatic shoes.
With so much red, it was a relief to see they finally waved a white flag.
Yoga is meant to be peaceful and calming, but try meditating in the middle of a lawsuit over similar waistbands.
Lulu Lemon sued Calvin Klein because of a design that was a little too similar to the brand’s signature yoga pants. Lulu Lemon has patents on three of their designs and the Astro style waistband happened to be one of them.
It’s now much harder for designers to patent certain designs like the shape of a cuff or cut of a collar, but Lulu Lemon got one just in time.
The suit lasted less than a year and the two fashion designers ended up settling.
However, not all lawsuits are formed over similar clothing styles.
Take John Galliano versus Dior, probably the biggest and most sensitive case to date.
In 2011, Galliano was dismissed from his employer of 15 years for making anti-semitic comments in a London pub. Galliano was filmed confessing his love for Adolf Hitler and telling people he believed to be Jewish that their mothers “should have been gassed”.
Galliano later blamed the comments on drug and alcohol addictions and insists he was wrongfully dumped by Dior.
He’s now suing the fashion house for $18M. It’s been over two years with no result.
Who’s your money on – Galliano or Dior? – Melina Morry
Screenshot from Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” music video.
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