After reaching a settlement with DJP Holdings LLC, designer Donald J. Pliner and his wife, Lisa Pliner, say they plan to forge ahead with their new shoe-industry venture, Right Bank Shoe Co., a fashion footwear business offering men’s and women’s shoes.
A website for the collections, which are made in Italy and Spain, launched today.
Last week, FN reported that DJP Holdings and the Pliners had reached a settlement in a trademark infringement suit filed by the firm against the couple last year.
The Pliners ultimately agreed not to use their own names, likenesses or the terms “Mountains of Italy” and “Beaches of Spain” in connection with the sale, production or marketing of any fashion or lifestyle goods.
DJP Holdings LLC, the parent company of Donald J Pliner men’s and women’s footwear lines, filed a suit against the couple last August alleging breach of contract, trademark infringement, false advertising, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition after the Pliners attempted to debuted a new footwear collection at FN Platform.
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In papers filed Aug. 1 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, DJP Holdings claimed that, in addition to offering “highly similar” products, the Pliners’ newly launched footwear business as well as the collections, From the Mountains of Italy and From the Beaches of Spain, “unfairly competed” with its products and put the designer and his wife in breach of contract.
In 2011, Donald J. Pliner sold a majority stake in his namesake brand to private equity firm Castanea Partners, which backs DJP Holdings. DJP claims that as a part of the sale, “and in exchange for a considerable payment,” all of the trademarks and other intellectual property associated with the Donald J Pliner brand were transferred to the firm.
While he had stayed on as creative director immediately after the sale, the designer said creative differences led to his departure in 2015.
