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24 January 2020TrademarksRory O'Neill

Zara ‘blatantly’ copied jeans design, says Amiri

Fashion brand Amiri is suing Zara for $3 million at the US District Court for the Central District of California, accusing the retailer of “blatantly” copying the design of its skinny biker jeans.

In the complaint, filed Wednesday, January 22, Amiri owner Atelier Luxury Group said that the Zara Combination Skinny Biker jeans launched last month had the same “look and feel” as the Amiri MX2 design.

The Amiri brand launched in 2013, aiming to capture the “punk and grunge culture of the 1980s and 1990s” in its streetwear designs.

According to the complaint, Zara has misappropriated not just the “feel” of the Amiri jeans but the minute detail of the designs, down to the “pleated leather panel detailing, side zippered thigh pockets, zippered knee closures, and skinny fit washed denim”.

“Because Zara’s jeans closely imitate the distinctive MX2 jeans, Zara’s actions create a possibility that the AMIRI MX2 trade dress will no longer serve as a unique identifier of Plaintiff’s jeans to consumers, both in the US and abroad,” the complaint said.

Amiri said it has established significant goodwill and reputation from its design and trade dress, citing numerous “fashion influencers” who have worn the jeans, including rapper Future, actor and singer Kris Wu, and A-Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.

Since launching early last year, Amiri has earned millions of dollars in revenues from the MX2 jeans, the complaint said.

However, Zara’s alleged copying of the jeans is likely to dilute the design as an indicator of commercial origin, Amiri argued.

WIPR has contacted Zara for comment in response to the allegations.

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