Aquazzura On Why It’s Suing Ivanka Trump Over Copycat Sandals

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Aquazzura's been low-key shaming Ivanka Trump on Instagram for months, claiming that her shoe brand's Hettie sandals are a direct replica of Aquazzura's buzzy Wild Thing sandals.

This week, Aquazzura decided to take its battle to court, and now the brand is explaining why it is suing Ivanka Trump. Here's what Aquazzura said in a statement:

Aquazzura is a young company that puts our hearts and souls into our designs. We have brought this suit to protect the integrity of our designs, our hard work and to avoid consumers from being deceived. If a company is allowed to use designs that they did not create which consumers recognize as Aquazzura, then the original designs are compromised. We are confident that the law will not allow the type of copying that we have seen here.

Aquazzura is suing Trump and parent company Marc Fisher for copying "nearly every detail" of the Wild Thing, People StyleWatch reports. Not only is Aquazzura seeking damages and attorneys' fees, it also wants an injunction to stop Trump from selling the Hettie.

Marc Fisher CFO Matthew Burris called the lawsuit "baseless," telling People:

This is a baseless lawsuit aimed at generating publicity. The shoe in question is representative of a trending fashion style, is not subject to intellectual property law protection and there are similar styles made by several major brands. The lawsuit is without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves against the claim.

For comparison, here's the $785 Wild Thing sandal as seen on Barneys site:

Compare with the $145 Ivanka Trump Hettie, as seen on Zappos:

Unfortunately for Aquazzura, Ivanka Trump is not the only brand that's been "inspired" by the Wild Thing Sandal.

Style blogger InTheirCloset counted 19 other brands with dupes of this fringe sandal, including Steve Madden, Express, Banana Republic, Boohoo, Matiko, Charlotte Russe and more.

That could be quite a fight to go after all these fast fashion companies — but Aquazzura is going out swinging. The Fashion Law reported yesterday that the brand is also suing Steve Madden, alleging that Steve Madden copied Wild Thing and two more Aquazzura shoe styles.

Update, June 28th, 12:28pm: Aquazzura CEO Jean-Michel Vigneau released the following statement on the brand's lawsuit against Steve Madden:

This is not the first time Aquazzura files suit against a brand that uses its design. We will continue to fight and try to stop these actions. Authenticity and originality are at the care of our brand, and we will defend them at all costs. We truly trust the law over the protection of these values.