copyright infringement is a big deal in the fashion industry. to many designers copyright infringement is like trying to repaint the mona lisa. but no one has had as a horrible and quick a backlash experience as skechers did when they launched their earth day bob's line. check out this article here.
i admit, when i heard about these blatant knockoffs, it became an immediate joke amongst my friends and i. just as some sheepskin boots designers we have all so creatively renamed 'fuggs', these shoes became a punchline themselves. but what made this ripoff different? to many it is the idea that a multi-million dollar commerical business trying to capitalize on an idea that originally was born for humanitarian efforts and not intended for profit.
but wait, there was no news on TOMS creator suing for copyright infringement, which means he must've given permission to skechers for copying the shoe design right down to the little white tab, right? i mean, how do we know where the money goes after it leaves our hands and into the company's bank account anway? just putting that out there...
anyway, the reason for this post is that i saw them recently at ross marked down to $10.99 from it's retail price of $45.00. i admit, it had me fooled. this was the first time i have seen bobs up close and personal. other than the bobs label in the back, the shoes are practically identical. so, yeah, i got them! but does that mean that a portion will not be donated? or did skechers do that when they sold them to ross? does ross have to donate now? so confusing!
what about you? would you get them despite the scandal?
