Cameron Diaz. Reese Witherspoon. Julia Roberts.Naomi Campbell. Sarah Jessica Parker. Just a few of the celebrities who love the Sigerson Morrison designer shoe brand. Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison were propelled into the fashion spotlight after launching their brand in 1994 with investments from family and friends. The designers are famously known for creating the glorious gladiator sandal that quickly became a summer must-have for every woman.
The designer duo had high aspirations for growing the brand, but made a decision that may be the death of the Sigerson Morrison line as we know it. That decision was allowing Marc Fisher acquire the company in hopes of growing their company in the best way possible (Sigerson and Morrison remained creative director and head of design for the lines). But the partnership quickly went south.
It appeared to Morrison and Sigerson that Fisher was knocking off the high-end designer looks in his other shoe brands he produces like: Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and J. C. Penney. One example noted by The Wall Street Journal : “a black-and-silver flat sandal from their 2008 Ikat collection, they contend, looked eerily similar to an orange Marc Fisher model that retailed for $69 the next summer.”
Coincidence or not? Apparently this isn’t the first time Fisher has been accused of similar claims. Marc Fisher Footwear paid up after Gucci won a federal lawsuit for the use of Gucci’s iconic “G” symbol on a GUESS line of accessories and sneakers. Other brands Marc Fisher produces have been similarly accused, like Ivanka Trump’s brand, but Fisher denies the claims.
As it stands, if Siegerson and Morrison leave to start a new line of shoes they will not even be able to use their own names, as this was a right signed away in agreements with Fisher. The ladies are still designing for other brands like Steve Madden and want to continue doing what they love: designing shoes. But the future currently looks bleak for Siegerson Morrison with the once-owners swamped in a legal battles over knockoffs of their designs and the return of their namesake.
