Ivanka Trump has formally denied that the design of her namesake brand’s “Teagin” shoe was copied from Aquazzura’s “Wild Thing” heel.
In June, the Italian shoe brand filed a lawsuit in New York’s Southern District against Trump, IT Collection LLC and Marc Fisher Holdings LLC, the manufacturer of her shoe line, claiming that Trump’s fringed heel ripped off Aquazzura’s copyrighted design.
At the time, Marc Fisher CFO Matthew Burris called the suit “baseless” — noting that the shoe in question is simply “representative of a trending fashion style” — and argued that it’s nothing more than a publicity stunt.
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In a response filed Friday, Trump “denies that she has engaged in any acts of infringement of Plaintiff’s purported trade dress, unfair competition or deceptive trade practices, and lacks knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of the remainder of the allegations,” and asked the court to dismiss the suit.
Aquazzura designer Edgardo Osario first brought the similarities to the public’s attention in April, shaming Trump on Instagram. “One of the most disturbing things in the fashion industry is when someone blatantly steals your copyright designs and doesn’t care,” he captioned a side-by-side image of the two heels. “You should know better. Shame on you @ivankatrump! Imitation is NOT the most sincere form of flattery.”
