mind the gap

Shoe Designer Charles Philip Sues Gap Over Alleged Copycat Slippers

Footwear designer Charles Philip (of Charles Philip Shanghai) filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging that Gap designers copied his work, and his trademark specifically — a “distinctive striped design on the inside of a shoe.” Lining fabrics, the new red sole? Selling their versions at an 80 percent drop on Philip’s prices, the Gap also apparently took inspiration from his name, and called similar-looking shoes “Phillip slipper” and “Phillip slipper moccasin,” among others. (Philip says the Gap, however, did not replicate his “attention to detail.”) His lawsuit asks that the retail chain pull their versions and pay him compensation. And while a spokesperson tells the Post, “we do not comment on pending litigation,” the designs Philip cites as copycats no longer appear on Gap’s website.

Shoe Designer Charles Philip Sues Gap