Skechers may be all about comfort, but it’s constantly blowing its cool: the mainstream shoe brand loves scrap, especially with an unlikely foe. Take Skechers’ latest bone, which is picked with perhaps the least existing Skechers brand: luxury giant Hermès.
Before you think Skechers is overstepping its weight class… well, maybe. But, in all honesty, that hasn’t stopped Skechers from tangling with Nike not once but at least twice in recent years.
And, not only did Skechers settle a trio of Nike complaints not even a year ago, it called off a beef with adidas just before Nike filed those lawsuits.
But the orthopedic shoe is on the other foot, and Skechers goes on the offensive against Hermès, citing a few new Hermès shoe styles as infringing on Skechers’ Massage Fit insole patent.
The sneakers in question are the Éclair and the Envol, two sneakers that Hermès released in 2022.
One is a technical canvas pull-on top and the other is a leather lace-up bottom, but that’s not Skechers’ issue.
Below, Hermès’ Éclair and Envol shoes feature “midsole and bottom sole design elements that infringe multiple Skechers patents,” according to a press release Skechers issued about its lawsuit.
Skechers cites its Go Walk sneaker line as an example of the type of shoe that Hermès was apparently biting, saying Hermès’ new sneakers use a similar sole to its Massage Fit design.
However, you can walk into a store right now and pick up a pair of Go Walk shoes for up to $110, while the Éclair sells for $800 and the Envol for $940.
“It is disappointing that a company of Hermès reputation and reputation has chosen to copy and infringe Skechers’ patented designs,” a Skechers representative said in the statement. “While Skechers always prefers to be competitive in the marketplace rather than in the courtroom, the company has no choice but to take legal action when competitors openly trample on our rights.”
It’s an interesting change of tact from Skechers, which has mostly played defense against Nike copycat claims (look at the Air Max 360-like above).
Then again, maybe Skechers feels Hermès is more in its weight class: Nike reported over $37 billion in revenue in 2021, while Skechers claimed over $6 billion. of dollars and Hermès nearly 9 billion dollars.
Highsnobiety has contacted Hermès for comment.
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