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Gucci has lost a court case against Japanese brand Cuggl, which has a logo on its T-shirts that looks too much like the luxury brand. However, it is not a forgery, but a parody, says the court. The whole court case says a lot about Japan’s unusual fashion culture.
Luxury challenger brands
Japanese fashion startup Cuggl specializes in parodying luxury brands with t-shirts boldly rocking label logos. The name Cuggl, for example, seems to have little in common with Gucci, until the lower half of the name is strategically made invisible on the shirts. The same goes for the patented name GUANFI, which then suddenly looks suspiciously like Chanel.
However, the Japanese patent office now rules that Gucci has no reason to protest against Cuggl because consumers are smarter than that and no real confusion is possible. Therefore, the start-up does not have “the malicious intent to abuse goodwill and reputation,” as Gucci argued according to The Financial Times.
Cuggl parodies a number of other popular brands, from Puma to Prada, and thus fits perfectly into the idiosyncratic Japanese fashion culture. In a country full of contrasts, many creative clothing brands and subcultures challenge the familiar world of fashion with humor and innovation. At RetailDetail’s Retailhunt in Tokyo, you can get to know the inspiring retail and trends there.
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Gucci has lost a court case against Japanese brand Cuggl, which has a logo on its T-shirts that looks too much like the luxury brand’s. However, it is not a forgery, but a parody, says the court. The whole court case says a lot about Japan’s unusual fashion culture.
