Puma and Dolce & Gabbana fight over fur sandals

Two world-famous fashion companies are currently arguing over bath slippers: Puma is trying to bar competitor Dolce & Gabbana from selling sinfully expensive luxury slippers with real mink. The accusation: The Italians had copied Puma’s own sandals. Now, Puma wants to obtain a preliminary injunction against Dolce & Gabbana at the higher regional court in Munich.

The higher regional court is already the second authority that has to deal with the case on Thursday after Puma had lost the first appeal at district court level. For a few years now, the sportswear brand has been selling bath slippers with a faux fur strap designed by pop star Rihanna. According to the higher regional court, Puma’s lawyers argued in the first instance that the combination of classic flip-flops and fur brought the bath slippers “out of the sweat and changing room corner” and also freed the fur detail from the poodle and chihuahua corner.

Dolce & Gabbana, on the other hand, argued that the Italian beach sandals are furred with real mink, thus considerably more expensive and intended for a completely different target group. Accordingly, D&G’s product costs just under 500 euros (580 US dollars), whereas the Puma slippers are much cheaper. The district court in Munich had dismissed Puma's application for preliminary injunction. (dpa)