Louis Vuitton, its men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, and collaborator NIGO are facing a new lawsuit over allegations that they misappropriated COOGI’s iconic knitwear designs for the brand’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection. In the complaint filed last week in federal court in New York, COOGI Partners, LLC accuses Pharrell, Tomoaki Nagao (known professionally as NIGO), and Louis Vuitton of infringing its copyright-registered “RAG & BONE” sweater design and distinctive trade dress through the unauthorized manufacture and promotion of colorful, textured sweaters and beanies that have been described by the press as “COOGI-flavored.”
According to the May 9 complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as first reported by TFL, COOGI claims that Louis Vuitton unveiled knit garments during its January 2025 Paris runway show that are “identical or virtually identical” to COOGI’s proprietary designs – specifically its registered “RAG & BONE” sweater and its signature trade dress, which it says has been associated with the brand for over three decades. COOGI asserts that the allegedly infringing designs are not only confusingly similar in appearance but also mimic key placement elements, such as including the word “VUITTON” in ovals – an apparent nod to COOGI’s 2014 collaboration with Rag & Bone.
> New York-based COOGI describes its sweater trade dress as consisting of “a central section that covers the torso and contains highly colorful individual vertical cables and ornamented sections consisting of multiple colors and intricate designs; sleeves showing horizontally the same colors and intricate designs; and a raised knit that appears three-dimensional.”
The Louis Vuitton menswear pieces were developed and marketed without authorization and in a manner intended to benefit from COOGI’s reputation and goodwill, the company claims. It points to media commentary describing the Louis Vuitton garments as “Coogi-inspired” and “Coogi-style knits” as further evidence that the allegedly infringing designs are strongly associated with COOGI’s visual identity in the minds of consumers.
In support of its claims, COOGI underscores the cultural significance and commercial value of its knitwear designs, which were famously worn by The Notorious B.I.G. in the 1990s and referenced in songs by Biggie, Kanye West, and A$AP Ferg. The brand details decades of use and millions in annual sales during its peak years, asserting that its trade dress has acquired distinctiveness and secondary meaning, particularly among fashion-conscious and hip-hop audiences. It also cites previous collaborations with Supreme and Puma, as well as recent media appearances of its products, including a feature in the 2025 film Sinners.
Despite sending cease-and-desist letters to LVMH and Louis Vuitton beginning in February 2025, COOGI says it received no formal response – conduct it characterizes as willful and indicative of bad faith.
With the foregoing in mind, COOGI asserts claims for copyright and trade dress infringement, false endorsement, trademark dilution, and unfair competition, and is seeking injunctive relief, monetary damages, disgorgement of profits, and the destruction of all allegedly infringing materials.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The lawsuit highlights the growing scrutiny and legal risks facing fashion houses that borrow from streetwear and culturally significant visual codes. As luxury brands continue to blur the lines between homage and appropriation – especially when invoking historically Black fashion vernacular, allegations like those waged by COOGI could set the stage for more clashes that center on trade dress protection and brand heritage in the era of cultural remixing.
The case is Coogi Partners, LLC v. Williams et al., 1:25-cv-03837 (S.D.N.Y.).
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