KEY POINTS:
Fashion powerhouse Trelise Cooper is involved in another wrangle, this time over the quality of shoes by Auckland designer Sarah Riley.
Riley claims Trelise Cooper Limited (TCL) owes her $23,000, half the bill for 150 pairs of shoes that retail for a shade under $500 a pair.
TCL said they paid half on delivery as a goodwill gesture to the young designer but alleged that there were major quality issues. The company said it removed the shoes from the shelves and attempted unsuccessfully to return them to Riley.
Months of negotiations followed, with Riley offering TCL a discount on the remainder of the bill, which the company initially refused to accept.
Trelise Cooper said yesterday they agreed to Riley's offer a month ago "so we could all just move on".
The spat has been simmering since September, when Riley said she was expecting full payment for the shoes.
It went public on Wednesday when the young designer issued a press release accusing TCL of "crippling" her business.
Her public claims "stunned" TCL general manager Alex Brandon, who hit back with a press release detailing the alleged faults with the shoes.
The Herald on Sunday spoke to both parties in detail and found little common ground.
Riley, 28, whose designs have been praised by fashion gurus as "cutting edge" and "up-and-coming" said the unpaid bill has held back her shoe collection for two seasons.
"It's really upsetting and so unprofessional. I never thought they wouldn't pay the bill. They are a huge company and I'm just one person."
Riley vehemently denied the shoes were faulty and claimed the company paid her nothing upfront. She claimed she was expecting the full $47,000 30 days after delivery.
Brandon said TCL staff and customers started noticing major problems two days after the order arrived.
TCL said there were problems with balance and sizing, soles breaking after one wear, adhesive stickers leaving marks and tearing leather when removed and metal studs falling out of shoes.
Jo Pearson, owner of Mei Mei shoe boutique in Ponsonby, which stocks $1000-plus shoes from designers such as Marc Jacobs and Jimmy Choo, said Riley's shoes sold very well in her store.
Penny Barnett, of Wellington's Designer Clothing said Riley's "creative and beautiful" designs had originally impressed her, but once stock arrived staff noticed problems with balance and pitch.
Cooper is no stranger to controversy.
She threatened to sue accessories maker Tamsin Cooper for breach of copyright, arguing the name was too close to hers and would cause confusion. Legal proceedings were withdrawn in July 2007.
Earlier this year, Cooper found herself in the legal sights of Treliske, one of the country's biggest organic farms, which registered that name in 1993.
WELL-HEELED BUYS
Cost is no guarantee of quality, according to an independent shoe repairer.
Mike Gatherer, owner of Dr Shoe, off Auckland's Queen St, believed designer shoes weren't all they were cracked up to be - at least in terms of value for money.
Many were made in China and he thought the only thing pushing their price up was the designer's label. He regularly fixes $1300 pairs of boots and believed they were often the same quality as $100 styles.
The Herald on Sunday asked Gatherer to examine three $495 pairs of Sarah Riley shoes and a comparable $30 style from No1 Shoes.
He said Riley's designs were "cutting edge", "stylish" and "funky" but said the No1 Shoes would "definitely" last longer.
The cheapie heels had a good, non-slip, rubber sole, while the leather soles on Riley's stiletto styles would wear out quicker. "They are paper thin. But she is not alone there, it's very common."
Gatherer said his own black trainers, costing $39, had lasted 18 months.
