April Walker is accusing Virgil “Off-White” Abloh of stealing her swag and classic designs.
On Monday, August 23, she posted on her website www.iamaprilwalker.com that she will be suing not only the Louis Vuitton director and others who are benefiting from her work.
She wrote, “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.”
Walker, who started her Walker Wear brand back in the 90s, was one of the premier clothing companies celebrating Black and brown street culture to make millions of dollars in sales. She alleges that one of the pieces that Off-White and Saks bootlegged one of her designs and refused to stop selling them or break bread with her.
She posted her classic black and white double “W” sweatshirt and juxtaposed it with the jacket that is currently on sale in the luxury department store.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
The designer has linked with the WilmerHale law firm and filed a complaint in Federal Court. She has also launched the hashtags #virgilsvictims, #offwhitestolrefrommetoo, and #saksnobetter.