Fashion designer Virgil Abloh has been hit with a lawsuit and accused of stealing designs created by April Walker, who revolutionized the street fashion industry starting in the 90’s with her Walker Wear Line. The line was at the top of the hip-hop fashion game in its prime and was rocked by the likes of Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G. Naughty By Nature, Tupac and more. Walker carved her own niche and held her own along with other popular brands of the era like Karl Kani and FUBU.
Walker’s suit claims Abloh’s Off White brand stole her WW XXL Athletic signature mark, which consists of two W’s side by side. Walker Wear has been using the logo since 1993. According to a court document obtained by VIBE, Walker filed a complaint on Aug. 20 against Off-White and retailers Farfetch and Saks Fifth Avenue “for federal and state trademark infringement, federal and state unfair competition, and state unfair business practices.” Walker Wear filed the complaint after Off-White began selling its varsity jacket for $2,234, alleging similarities between the designs.
“The infringing jacket uses a design that is virtually identical to the WW mark. The infringing jacket design displays the two W’s in silver against a dark background on a casual, streetwear-style jacket. The W’s themselves closely resemble those on Walker Wear’s designs, broadly outlined with flat serifs (extending tips) at the top of each W,” the lawsuit reads.
According to court documents, Walker Wear sent a cease and desist letter to Off-White in June to stop selling any garments with the “WW” logo. Saks and Farfetch also allegedly received the cease and desist letter as the retailers of the bomber jacket and all parties continued selling the garments. Abloh has been accused of ripping off other designers in the past by changing their works by 3 percent and making it his as a totally new design.
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