Following a $62 knock-off from Bershka, the Y-3 Qasa continues to be the most imitated sneaker of the year, and the latest offender is a Scandinavian brand known as Arkk Copenhagen.
According to its "Brand Profile" section, Arkk Copenhagen create "sports orientated fashion sneakers" that are "inspired by the minimalistic and simple Scandinavian architecture and lifestyle." Sounds innocent enough, right?
The only problem with that is that Arkk's sneakers don't seem to be inspired by anything other than the Y-3 Qasa lineage. The Raven model (pictured above) is especially offensive, with a neoprene upper and waxed laces that look like they've been transplanted straight from a Y-3 shoe.
Meanwhile, the Falcon sneaker appears to ape several design cues from the adidas Tubular Runner. Forget trying to pass these off as a homage, this is some pretty blatant biting.
And the real kicker here is that a number of Arkk's styles — priced at $111 — are actually sold out, which means apparently some people just don't care. Take a look for yourself, but don't say we didn't warn you.
