A few years ago Vans hit resale with the Yacht Club and a few other styles. I even found the AVE as a go to for resale. Vans haven’t really replicated the hype of the retro trend, but they are still very popular. I recently wrote about a New Balance, The Lindor 1, that looked a lot like the Air Jordan 20:
The Air Jordan 20 Reborn or Coincidence? The New Balance Lindor 1
There was a lot of back and forth about inspiration and the tradition of sneaker design borrowing from other classics. I even explained that I utilized the Air Max 90 and the Air Jordan 3 when I made my first two shoes under ARCH. I even used an And 1 outsole on my Sho-Shot basketball shoes in my first company. As a smaller brand, it was almost a requirement that I create using a base featuring elements of more established styles. It helped to keep costs down. But is this AARK Copenhagen Sommr a little too close for comfort?
If a brand isn’t based in the same country, does IP still stand? Am I seeing something or is this shoe almost identical to the Old Skool? I have to admit that there are an abundance of shoes that look similar. Take a moment to look up the toebox of the Rothy’s RS01 and the Maison Margiela Replica. I mean copy is in the name of the high end version of this sneaker. It doesn’t stop with these two. Calling attention to it is basically saying, hey I see you, but it’s not saying, “hey, stop that.” Although it should be. When you consider the abundance of footwear that ends up in landfills, it should be slightly bothersome to see this form of flattery. Am I right?