This is for Virgil’s Victims — I’m taking legal action against Off-White
I’m taking legal action against Virgil Abloh’s company Off-White, Saks Fifth Avenue, Farfetch, and all other relevant parties and for the record, taking a stand not just for myself, but for all women and black and brown creators across the world.
If you don’t know me, my name is April Walker, of Walker Wear and I’m the first female trailblazer of a multi-billion dollar category dubbed “streetwear.” My brand is one of the first to kick in distribution doors, garner millions in sales, and work with some of our most celebrated icons in history.
Collectively, our community created its own thriving cultural and economic ecosystem. Yet decades later, our enduring cultural currency is not reflected in equity, ownership, or legacy stories. Despite the foundations we laid, many female brown and black designers still face the same “invisible” challenges, including that the big fashion houses like Off-White take our designs without permission and companies like Saks enable the conduct by selling articles with the stolen designs. They apparently believe they can get away with it, betting that we’d be outgunned if we challenged them in legal proceedings.
This year, it was brought to my attention that Saks is selling one of my classic designs as hijacked by an Off-White “mirror reflection” design, to the point where my customers were confused and tribe members hit me up with “congratulations on the collab” or Saks selling my designs. When we raised this with Off-White and Saks and asked them to stop, they dismissed our concerns and made clear that they would neither address the harm they have already caused nor stop taking our designs. The “take and make and regurgitate” attitude of this fashion industry, with designers like Off-White and sellers like Saks and Farfetch taking from independent designers and selling our magic back to us with a price tag, has to change. Honestly, this incident resurfaced my PTSD as a Black/Mexican woman in this fashion industry, I distinctly remember what I didn’t miss about it. Double oppression. Gender and Race.
Black creatives matter and independent designers are just as valuable as these giant fashion house establishments like Off-White, Saks, and Farfetch. Stay original, don’t bite ideas, and respect women. Respect women who were building brands and helped to pave the way for you to participate in this culture. Respect women by honoring their legacy and not appropriating their work. Black culture has always been at risk for mainstream appropriation, so I lead this conversation. Building my business in a predominantly white and male culture, I was keenly aware of the obstacles, but I’m sick and tired of being sick. Amends must be made. From Dapper Dan to Misa Hylton, to Pyer Moss to Tyler Perez, and more we all have encountered violations, but the future must be brighter than its pillaging past.
Off-White and Saks have made clear that they won’t stop until they are made to stop. They figure they can get away with it. So today I filed a complaint in Federal Court. And I’m not going to be outgunned. One of the most respected law firms in the business — WilmerHale — has agreed to take on this case.
Stay tuned.
For a full history, links in bio.
https://iamaprilwalker.medium.com/ive-been-in-this-game-for-years-851f78ae5552
