Steve Madden totally ripped off CL, pic and all!

[Zophie]

I feel torn about this, because on one hand I feel like it's crappy to completely copy someone's design and even their pictures. But on the other hand, I don't feel like Steve Madden is going to steal any business from Christian Louboutin. People who can afford $500 shoes are going to buy the CL version, but I'm willing to bet that most of the people that would buy the SM version have never even heard of Louboutins, and even if they did they wouldn't buy it. That's a HUGE price difference ...

I agree. I honestly meet very few people who wear CL or other high-end designer shoes. A lot of people I know think Steve Madden is expensive and shop at Payless for cheaper versions. I guess SM has to be inspired by somebody, but does it have to be an exact copy? I never knew how close the copies were as I never shopped at SM before.

 

[shmoo88]

Ya I think copying something down to the wire except for the signature red sole (because its probably copy righted) is wrong. There has to be some sort of variation.

Reminds me of the dress Courtney Love wore that was a total knockoff of a one of a kind Chanel.

I think there should be some variation. But replicating isn't going to steal from Cl's business.

When I was in high school in living in North Dakota, fashion designers weren't well known, and Steve Madden and Nine West is all we had and we didn't know better. ANd there was no way we'd pay or could afford $600 shoes.

So its a hard situation. Just because I can afford it now, I remember when I couldn't, and I would have hated if I couldn't have some sort of shoe/purse/clothes that didn't look designerish.

 

[ladydeluxe]

omg i hope CL does something about this, otherwise it'd be disastrous!! another case of the LV fakes!

 

[envyme]

steve maddens are SOOOOO uncomfortable!!

 

[JPLovesPurses]

I like SM and he and other designers copy higher end shoe designers all the time. I'd rather save my money on shoes and get a nicer purse. To me, shoes wear out and go out of style faster. So why not spend less on trendy shoes?

 

[carrie07777]

I know they are cheaper alternatives, but it sucks for us that actually spend the money on the real things, only to have them EXACTLY knocked off. And Steve Madden gets away with it.. it's not like they're being sold out of a trunk somewhere in a back alley.

but what really bothers me about this is that SM totally stole the picture off of the Saks website and used it as their own. That surely is not ok. SM has crossed the line of just ripping off styles to actually misrepresenting the shoe they are selling on their website. Unethical, no?

 

[krv]

yeah, sadly I've come to expect Steve Madden ripping other styles off, but it's the pic that kinda floored me today. i mean, that is the EXACT same pic. Minus the photoshopped red sole. Surely someone (Steve) is misrepresenting their product, unless they are made in the same warehouse!

^^ That is so true, its exactly the exact picture from Saks website, except they photoshoped the red sole off.

 

[Zophie]

I walked by the SM store in the mall today and saw what appeared to be a copy of Uggs boots, unless they actually sell Uggs in the SM store.

 

[purplekicks]

Madden copies all designers. He ripped off Miu Miu this season, too. His versions are generally different where it counts, whether it's a less gracefully sculpted heel or uglier colours.

 

[lv_forever]

I don't mind if it is an "inspired" version, but a lot of Steve Madden designs now are exact replicas except for the red sole.

I mean SM is a shoe company that supposedly employs its own "designers." Maybe it should fire all the designers and have 1 person to copy the designs off CL and other designers from Saks catalog. If SM can't come up with original designs of its own, why stay in the business? Obviously shoe business is very wrong for this company if it can't even design its own shoes.

 

[fmd914]

Wow!!! I have never seen so much of a single line completely copied in a single season. This causes me to lose some respect for SM.

 

[andicandi3x12]

god forbid the 95% of the country under sixfigures should have cute shoes...

It sucks but its been said you buy what you can afford and IMO CL is gaining popularity anyway. WHY do you all care so much? its alot of energy. Buy your CLs but if it angers you so much stop going to the SM site. Ya'll prob think its beneath you to even look at their shoes anyway from the responses.

 

[elli]

As wrong as it is that the CL idea is being stolen down to almost every last detail, it is so much more wrong that Steve Madden claims that he DESIGNED these. Its pretty much plagarism...

 

[BagsRmyLife]

I think the picture bothers me more than the acutal shoe design. I mean all the designers copy each other..SM has copied Miu Miu in the coffer bag as well and lots of other things. But at least take your own picture.

 

[feifei87]

the shoe design bothers me only a little, but the picture is completely wrong! Taking a picture from someone else and not citing where it comes from is plagiarism. I agree that if they're going to copy CL's design, SM should take their own pictures.