The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Levi Strauss has sued Brunello Cucinelli, accusing the Italian luxury fashion brand of infringing its trademarked rectangular pocket tab.
In a complaint filed on Tuesday night in San Francisco federal court, Levi provided 14 photos of Brunello Cucinelli clothing containing “nearly identical” copies of its tab, which the retailer of denim and other clothing trademarked in 1938.
Levi said consumers will likely be confused, and it will likely lose sales and suffer “incalculable and irreparable damage” to its goodwill and reputation unless Brunello Cucinelli stops selling its infringing clothing.
The lawsuit seeks to end sales of infringing products, unspecified damages including lost profits, and other remedies. Levi said repeated attempts to resolve the dispute without litigation were unsuccessful.
ADVERTISEMENT
Brunello Cucinelli had no immediate comment on Wednesday.
Levi’s brands also include Dockers and Beyond Yoga.
The San Francisco-based company has in recent years filed several lawsuits to protect its tabs, including cases against Kering’s Yves Saint Laurent and LVMH’s Kenzo. Both of those lawsuits ended in settlements.
The case is Levi Strauss & Co v Brunello Cucinelli USA Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 24-00399.
By Jonathan Stempel and Eliza Anzolin; Editing by Bernadette Baum
Learn more:
Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh to Retire
Michelle Gass, who currently serves as the president of Levi’s, will succeed Bergh in the role, effective Jan. 29 of next year.
The online fashion retailer plans to update China’s securities regulator on the change of the initial public offering venue and file with the London Stock Exchange as soon as this month, a person with knowledge of the matter said.
The company, under siege from Arkhouse Management Co. and Brigade Capital Management, doesn’t need the activists when it can be its own, writes Andrea Felsted.
As the German sportswear giant taps surging demand for its Samba and Gazelle sneakers, it’s also taking steps to spread its bets ahead of peak interest.
A profitable, multi-trillion dollar fashion industry populated with brands that generate minimal economic and environmental waste is within our reach, argues Lawrence Lenihan.