Steve Madden has filed a complaint against Steve Madden accusing the lower-priced brand of knocking off one of their most "well-known and enormously popular" handbag styles. Although this lawsuit does not come as a surprise for Madden, the timing for Stella McCartney is rather unfortunate due to the increased attention around vegan fashion items and whether or not vegan was just another word for 'fake' or 'not real'.
There are actually two issues involved in this handbag knock-off: Firstly this handbag knock-off is likely to damage Stella McCartney reputation and result in loss of sale as a result of confusion among customers. Secondly is that Steve Madden knock-off handbag used materials that were harmful to environment, creating a product that goes against everything that Stella McCartney stands for.
Where or not this lawsuit has any leg to stand on, is a debate for another day.
In my opinion this knock-off brand will raise questions among the Stella McCartney's customers of where or not this high-end vegan bag actually lived up to its promise in the first place. The media attention around Stella McCartney Falabella collection of bags, will also cause customers to take a closer look at other fashion items belonging to the brand. How they handle this media attention can either be harmful or beneficial to the brand especially with the increased focus around vegan fashion. This maybe a platform for Stella McCartney to educate its customers on vegan fashion and its commitment in protecting the environment.
For more information on this article and vegan fashion:
1. http://fashionista.com/2015/10/stella-mccartney-steve-madden-lawsuit
2. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-vegan-fashion-20150205-story.html
3.http://www.refinery29.com/2014/07/70664/stella-mccartney-vegan-leather
Very interesting! I'd like to discuss how this "hurts" versus "helps" Stella McCartney's brand in class tomorrow. Excellent find!
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