Fashion designer Stella McCartney has filed a lawsuit against Steve Madden for allegedly copying her popular Falabella tote.
The 44-year-old fashion designer – the daughter of Sir Paul McCartney – has filed a lawsuit against the founder of the footwear company for allegedly knocking off one of her most “well-known and enormously popular” handbag styles.
The British fashionista has claimed via court papers that Madden’s “poorly-made” BTotally bag looks “virtually identical” to her popular Falabella tote and will likely “cause economic harm to consumers, given its shoddy quality”.
“Long after [Stella McCartney’s] Falabella collection of bags, with their distinctive trade dress, achieved prominence in the fashion industry, and after [Stella McCartney] obtained design patent protection for its design, [Steve Madden] began importing and selling a tote bag, that, although virtually identical in appearance to Plaintiff’s design, is a poorly made copy,” stated the legal papers, reports Daily Mail Online, which are said to have been filed with the district court in New York on Tuesday.
According to the 22-page document, McCartney has cited the charges against Madden as “trade dress infringement, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, trade dress dilution, and design patent infringement” and has asked for it to be discontinued.
McCartney’s handbag, which features a woven chain trim and matching handle, is popular with the likes of Kim Kardashian West.
Steve Madden’s BTotally bag, which features a similar gunmetal frame to Stella McCartney’s Falabella range (the latter of which launched in 2009), retails for around £70 compared to the London-based brand’s collection which ranges from £475 for a small tote to £,1230 for a larger fringed version.
Lawyers for Stella McCartney are said to be seeking an injunction to prevent Steve Madden from continuing its sale of the bag as well as making a claim for unspecified damages.
Last year, Steve Madden was hit with a similar case by Balenciaga who claimed the fashion house’s Btalia bag bore too close a resemblance to its signature Motorcycle bag and six years ago, Balenciaga again sued the footwear brand for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, false designation of origin and unfair competition due to its lego shoes.