Tyga has yet another lawsuit on his hands, and this time around it’s with Vans.
According to Hypebeast, the rapper teamed up with sneaker brand MSCHF for their “Wavy Baby” sneakers. However, the collaboration has now backfired as Vans has filed a lawsuit against the creative duo for “trademark infringement, false designation of origin and unfair competition, in addition to trademark dilution.”
“MSCHF, in collaboration with Mr. Stevenson, has shamelessly marketed the Wavy Baby shoe in a direct effort to confuse consumers, unlawfully siphon sales from Vans, and intentionally damage Vans’ valuable intellectual property rights,” the lawsuit stated, Hypebeast reports. “The Wavy Baby shoe blatantly and unmistakably incorporates Vans’ iconic trademarks and trade dress.”
Even with the lawsuit on his hands, Tyga went on to share his excitement via Twitter over the sneaker release reportedly selling out within ten minutes.
Wtfffffff Sold out in less than 10 mins🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯‼️‼️‼️😫😫😫😫😫🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/y3ADWpJMbf
— T-Raww (@Tyga) April 18, 2022
Success or not, the legal battle is still in full force as Vans claims that the sneakers stole the look of their classic Old Skool silhouette.
MSCHF's Response Over The Lawsuit
According to MSCHF, Vans was allegedly seeking to take half of the profits generated from the Wavy Baby sneakers.
“Vans reached out to settle with us proactively,” MSCHF said, according to Highsnobiety. “Turns out that they were shaking our hand at the same time they were stabbing us in the back.”
Prior to the recent release and lawsuit at hand, it appears that the brand was set on distinguishing itself from Vans to clear the air.
“We’ve always known that sneakers are this culturally spicy object, sitting at the focal point of a lot of things,” MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg said in March. “But the sneaker landscape is so incredibly stale. If we were going to collaborate with a sneaker brand, they’d have to break open a new mold: we’re not just doing a MSCHF colorway.”
MSCHF's Track Record
MSCHF was also sued back in March 2021 by Nike for its Lil Nas X “Satan Shoes” collaboration, per the outlet.
The lawsuit went on to be settled within a month, but time will tell with this latest one.