New Balance Is Suing Steve Madden Over "Deliberate Knock-Offs" of Its 327 Model

It’s no secret that the sneaker industry has a bit of a design rip-off problem. From MSCHF’s Wavy Baby take on Vans’ Old Skool sneaker to Ye suing Walmart over phony Foam Runners, there have been numerous instances where sneaker brands have had to fight to protect their designs. The latest instance to join the long line of legal battles is between Boston-based New Balance and Steve Madden, with the former having accused Steve Madden of copying its hugely successful 327 silhouette.

In a complaint filed with the U.S District Court for the District of Massachusetts on June 7th, New Balance claimed that Madden’s ‘Chasen’ model sneaker was “a deliberate knock-off intended to free-ride off the popularity of New Balance’s 327.” Whilst some copies make an effort to deviate at least slightly from the original sneaker (the Wavy Baby sole being a perfect example here) we have to say that there aren’t too many differences between NB’s 327 and the accused “Chasen” silhouette.

In the images cited by New Balance, which show side by side the Concepts x New Balance 327 “Cape Cod” and the Steve Madden model, the similarities are strikingly obvious. The silhouette follows exactly the same shape, and even has similarly placed overlays across the upper. Both pairs also feature the same two-toned sole, as well as the waffle treading that’s become synonymous with New Balance’s silhouette. In fact, the only real visual difference is the missing ‘N’ logo on the Steve Madden pair, although New Balance also cited that the Chasen also “utilised two diagonal downward stripes that copied the placement and mimicked the appearance” of the logo.

It’s not the first time that Steve Madden brand has found itself in hot water – it released a sneaker that looked suspiciously like an Air Jordan 1 back in 2019, but it's certainly not the only brand to have taken advantage of the trend. After Vans triumphed over MSCHF in court back in April, this could easily go New Balance’s way, but only time will tell as to whether the decision will discourage knock-offs in the future. In other news, Arsenal player Bukayo Saka fronts the latest New Balance x Aimé Leon Dore campaign.