Nike Gladiateur Mid Vs. Punkrose Athena Sneaker Gladiator Sandals

One of my absolute favorite gladiator styles is this athletic sneaker and gladiator sandal hybrid from Nike:

Nike Gladiateur Mid in Black/Anthracite, White/Metallic Silver and Dark Cinder/Dark Driftwood Tan

Nike got talented Art Center College student Nancy Wu to design these awesome sandals for Nike’s Re-Mix and Re-Cut program.

Yes, they look a bit bulky and even sort of weird in the product images, but trust me, they look really good when worn. Just check out these pictures of models and satisfied owners of Nike Gladiateur Mids and see for yourself:

The Nike Gladiateur Mids as worn

So before this becomes a full blown post on just these Nike sandals, let me segue and say that because I adore the Nikes, I would also naturally be attracted to these hi-top sneaker-inspired gladiator sandals from Punkrose:

Punkrose Athena

Love that these sandals have new and different colors (purple and gold for the Lakers fans!), but they look a bit too much like the Nikes for my liking. Oh well, I guess the success of the Nike Gladiateurs is what prompted Punkrose to copy the design and why change something that’s already proven to sell, right?

If I were Nancy Wu, I would be torn between feeling flattered and angry right now. Flattered that someone likes my design so much that they felt compelled to replicate it for themselves, but angry that they’re profiting from my idea and even worse, directly competing with me with their copycat design at lower price point. The price on the Nike Gladiateur Mids? $80.00. The Punkrose Athenas? Not even half of that at just $31.45.

I myself enjoy cheaper versions of expensive designer shoes from time to time so I’m not in the position to judge Punkrose here. The ones who have a say are the people from Nike themselves, and if they choose to sue Skechers (brand owner of Punkrose) much like what Crocs, Inc. did when Skechers copied some of Crocs’s molded plastic footwear styles.

Do you think that there’s really nothing new in the world of fashion anymore and that knockoffs, stealing ideas and copying designs will forever hound the industry?

Credit: Nitrolicious.com, TheVine.com.au and Rakuten.co.jp