Aquazzura will take Ivanka Trump to court over trademarked sandal

By

Emily Jensen

Published
Sep 23, 2017

A trial date has been set for the lawsuit, which Aquazzura brought forward in 2016. The Italian luxury label alleges that Ivanka Trump copied its design for her footwear line.

 
New York District Judge Katherine Forrest will oversee the trial in March 2018. The lawsuit concerns Aquazzura’s “Wild Thing” fringe sandal and “Forever Marilyn” pump, which the company claims Trump copied for her line. Aquazzura’s fringed sandal retails for $785, while a similarly fringed sandal from Trump’s line sells for $65. Trump pulled the sandal off the shelves following the lawsuit.
 
Though her legal team argued she should not appear in court due to her high-ranking government position, Judge Forrest ruled that Trump may be required to testify.

Trump has faced similar lawsuits for her line. Both Derek Lam and California-based label Mystique have accused her of copying designs, allegations which she settled out of court. Her label has also been in hot water when it was found that G-III, the company which licenses the Ivanka Trump apparel line, secretly relabeled Ivanka Trump merchandise and sold it to Stein Mart.
 
Shortly after it filed a lawsuit against Trump, Aquazzura filed a similar claim against Steve Madden for copying its design. The lawsuit has yet to be settled.