Fashion designer Brian Lichtenberg has filed a $100 million federal suit against his brother Christopher, accusing the younger sibling of ripping off his products and waging a “highly destructive campaign to viciously malign . . . and interfere” with his business.
The suit comes as cheeky hipster clothing lines that parody high-fashion brands — for example, ball caps and T-shirts that read Commes des F - - k Down instead of Commes des Garçons, or Givraunchy rather than Givenchy — have become big business. Brian’s dispute is over gear with the words “Ballin” and “Ballin Paris” as a play on pricey Balmain. (His other “designer parodies” have included logos that spoof Hermès (Homiès), Céline (Féline) and Gucci (Bucci).
The LA suit claims Brian “came up with the original idea to create a parody logo for the designer Balmain,” and that he “would often use [Christopher] for a sounding board for his confidential . . . parody ideas” and hired him to work on graphic design and confidential mailing lists.
Brian’s customers have included stores Kitson and Colette, and Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus.
In court papers, Brian alleges that when Christopher’s own business, called Alex & Chloe, was struggling, “Christopher’s desperation for money caused him to set out to steal the ‘Ballin’ parody design.” And that Christopher “copied . . . confidential customer lists” and “represented to . . . people and companies in the fashion industry that his counterfeit ‘Ballin’ design was his original.”
(In a bizarre twist, the suit claims Christopher’s “drinking was spiraling out of control to the point that he created an alter ego known simply as ‘Stacey,’ that would come out from time to time when he had too much to drink.”)
Through power lawyer David Graziani, Brian’s suing for trademark infringement, unfair competition, defamation and other claims.
An Alex & Chloe rep said in an e-mail: “As we have always stated, the Ballin and Ballin Paris design is an Original design made by and for Alex & Chloe. The [designs were] NOT designed by Brian Lichtenberg. Accept no Imitations.”