Even though imitation is the most sincere form of flattery Virgil Abloh isn’t having it. The esteemed designer is going after companies that are guilty of style thievery.

Hypebeast is reporting that his fashion house is leveraging their legal muscle against other labels that have seemingly lifted their signature quotation mark branding. Since launching in 2012, Off-White has become one of the biggest names in the streetwear category via their punctuation around their releases including “Shoelaces” and red zip ties that accompany their footwear.

While Abloh and crew do not own the legal trademark to the quotes nor the scarlet colored straps they are citing they have attained “significant common law trademark.” In layman’s terms that means shoppers associate both features with their pricey wears. “Retailers, retail buyers, consumers and members of the public have become familiar with Off-White products and Off-White marks and associate [these things] exclusively with Off-White.”

Specifically on their legal hit list is a company called Rastaclat who is peddling goods at national retail chains under a “Off-Clat” and/or “Off-Clat c/o Rastaclat” moniker for shoelaces.

As of today Off-White has yet to successfully register the use of the quotes. Earlier this year Virgil himself was accused of stealing designs to which he denied that any similarities were unintentional. 

—

Photo: Nike/Off-White

Source: HipHopWired.com

Click Here to Discuss in the Forums