The founder of streetwear brand Walker Wear, April Walker, just filed a lawsuit against Virgil Abloh’s Off-White. Back in February, the female-owned brand took to Instagram to share one of Off-White’s jackets being sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and although it may look like a standard varsity jacket, Walker recognized the letterman motifs immediately. The Off-White jacket in question, which retails for $2,234 USD, bears similarity to “a design nearly identical to Walker Wear’s storied WW XXL Athletic mark design,” according to the lawsuit.
In the report Walker filed on August 20, she notes trademark infringement and dilution complaints against Virgil Abloh’s W letterman design. According to The Fashion Law, the suit also remarks that customers have mistaken the jacket for Walker Wear while highlighting Virgil’s penchant for changing designs by “three percent” and claiming “the design as his own.”
The lawsuit comes after Walker had already reached out outlining her trademark infringement claims and sent off cease-and-desist letters to the aforementioned parties. “Given Ms. Walker’s iconic status in the streetwear fashion industry and Mr. Abloh’s knowledge of the industry, Off-White was almost certainly aware of the Mark prior to designing, producing, and selling the infringing jacket,” it reads.
The 30-year-old streetwear brand popular in the ‘90s was worn by hip-hop artists such as Tupac, Biggie, LL Cool J, Aaliyah, and many more is seeking monetary damages from Off-White™ for violating N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 349, citing deceptive and misleading business practices.
Stay tuned for details as the story develops. Ahead, take a look at Abloh and Walker’s work side by side.
