One of the most prominent independent footwear designers, John Geiger, has had a storied history within the industry, working with brands as a consultant back in the mid-2010s, creating custom sneakers, and more. Many of his unique designs were applauded by others in the space but his GF-01 model drew some notable comparisons to the Nike Air Force 1, arguably the most iconic silhouette to come out of Beaverton, Oregon. With the ever-growing popularity of sneaker customizers and AF1 imitators, The Swoosh took to court back in 2021 and sued the manufacturer La La Land over trademark infringement and included Geiger in this wide-reaching suit. After the two parties reached an agreement, Geiger still had to fight his own battle over the last year, though according to a press release the two have settled the case and reached an agreement.
Geiger had been vocal throughout this battle and hired one of the sneaker industry’s best lawyers, Kenneth Anand of “Sneaker Law” and Yeezy fame, to help navigate what was a true underdog battle. Counter suits went back and forth with various claims flying in, such as Geiger claiming Nike’s use of reworked AF1 designs made the trademark vague or calling out the lack of action against A Bathing Ape and their Bapesta silhouette. Taking to social media at this time, he stated “I’m preparing to fight this battle for all creators and underdogs fighting the same uphill battle as me.”
While Nike and Geiger have reached an agreement that will see him modify his GF-01 design, the battle of creators and underdogs against Nike is still raging on. Recent filings by Nike in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California are alleging that sneaker customizers Drip Creationz is infringing on their trademark through the sale of customized AF1 designs. On top of this, there are countless cases as of late that have been filed by The Swoosh trying to stop sneaker customizers from releasing any modified Nike products. We’ll have to wait and see what will come out of this variety of lawsuits including the still-ongoing NFT battle with StockX. For more updates on the latest in sneakers, streetwear, and more, keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app.
Images via Nike & US District Court
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
