‘It’s bigger than me’: fashion designer Thom Browne defeats Adidas in court battle over stripes on their clothing
- Fashion designer says he was fighting for ‘every designer that creates something and has a bigger company come after them’ in his trademark dispute with Adidas
- The sportswear giant had claimed striped designs on his luxury athletic clothing were too similar to its own signature three parallel stripes. A jury disagreed
Smiling, fashion designer Thom Browne emerged from a New York courthouse victorious over sportswear giant Adidas in a grand battle over signature stripes.
Browne said he hopes the preservation of his striped designs on luxury athletic clothing and accessories inspires others whose work is challenged by larger clothing producers.
“It was important to fight and tell my story,” Browne said on Thursday after a Manhattan federal court jury sided with him. Adidas had claimed that the striped designs used by his eponymous label Thom Browne were too similar to its own three stripes.
“And I think it’s more important and bigger than me, because I think I was fighting for every designer that creates something and has a bigger company come after them later,” he said.
Adidas indicated in a statement that its fight might go on.
