Okay, so say you’re a company that deals in material goodies. If you want to make a quick buck imitating designs already being sold, you obvs adhere to the Cardinal Rule of Rip-Offs, which goes like this:
When imitating a given designer, don’t name the copycat after its inspiration.
It appears Rag & Bone didn’t get the memo when it decided construction boots were like-so-hot-right-now. Its footwear’s striking similarity to Danner‘s aesthetic could have been framed as coincidence.
Unfortunately, Rag & Bone christened its copycat the ‘Danner Boot‘. That’s called asking for a lawsuit (also shit-for-brains).
The inspiration for Rag & Bone’s party foul (see right) is Danner’s Recon Insulated Uniform Boot (see left) – an expertly-crafted shoe with the following features:
- 100% waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX® lining for the ultimate in comfortable, breathable waterproof protection.
- Vibram® Kletterlift outsole is specifically designed for comfort and durability. The heel provides lightweight comfort as well as superb shock absorption. The compound guarantees great traction and stability on both wet and dry surfaces.
- 200 grams of Thinsulateâ„¢ Insulation offer lightweight warmth for those needing protection in cold climates.
- Made in the USA.
The Recon boots cost $265.00, and appear to be built for an environmental apocalypse. When we eff up the earth to the point of no longer being able to walk barefoot on its surface, at least we’ll have shoes for the occasion. Good to know.
A detailed description of Rag & Bone’s Danner boot is no longer available, as Barney’s and Saks don’t like it when controversy pollutes their inventories – tres DRAG. For the sake of comparison, let’s take a looksee at the “features” of a similar shoe: Rag & Bone’s Lace Up Combat Boot ($495.00):
- These lace-up leather booties feature seams and a pull tab.
- 3.25″ stacked heel and 6″ shaft. Leather sole.
- Imported.
Combat my ass.
This leads me to conclude that the Rag & Bone’s Danner Boot is also crafted in “imported leather” (read: sweatshops) and is also the Recon boot’s inferior in strength and durability.
It clearly costs less to produce the brandtastic rip-off. Yet – somehow – the copycat costs a whopping $525.00. None of the features, none of the craftsmanship, double the price.
Maybe the soles of Rag & Bone’s Danner Boots are actually secret mini-rocket boosters, and their numerical absurdity accounts for the cost of fuel.
Oh wait, that actually requires neurons. Nevermind.
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In case you don’t need your shoes to protect you from lava and acid rain puddles, you can always hit up an army surplus store and boot yourself up for a cool $30. Not so insulated, and they’re hell to break in, but those buggers last a long time.
Yeah,they could have gone with ‘Pfanner’ boot ….or even ‘Das vedanyana’ boot…..