Topshop owner Sir Philip Green is contesting the use of his trademark on the Asos marketplace website. The British retail tycoon reportedly sent a letter advised by solicitors to Asos warning that unless it stopped using the Topshop name on its website he would sue, stated the Daily Telegraph.

Asos Marketplace is an online fashion sales platform, much like eBay, where users and boutiques can sell clothes and accessories to anyone who is interested. Customers may sell new or used clothing on its website, including clothing from Arcadia’s flagship brand Topshop, or any other brand.

Sir Philip claims Asos Marketplace uses the Topshop’s brand name too often and too prominently and that the website gives the impression that it sells new Topshop clothing, despite the fact that no such agreement is in place between the retailers.

Green told the Telegraph: “I feel Asos misrepresents our brand, which is registered to us. They claim to sell new Topshop clothes when they don’t. That’s an infringement of our trademark. This is not the first time it has happened. They would love to sell Topshop. They’ve had many conversations with us, but I’ve always said we are not interested. We have our own website.”

Asos chief executive Nick Robertson replied by maintaining: “A shopper might well have a new item and then they are selling it straight away. That does happen. This is no different from eBay. We will look at his complaint carefully but to my knowledge I have created a platform which allows people to recycle their wardrobe.”

Link to article: http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/fashion-news/fashion/topshop-and-asos-in-trademark-clash-2012060515012

FashionUnited has previously brought you stories on the booming state of the designer childrenswear market; such in demand that leading department store, Liberty, even recently launched a whole new floor section for kids pieces alone.

Now it seems the trend has spread across the globe; reports by the Albatross Global Solutions Survey for Children’s Industry have noted that now wealthy citizens are spending ever more on items for their kids, with sell through figures up for the likes of Gucci Kids, Burberry Children, Baby Dior. This, according to the China Research

Centre for Children’s Industry, is a natural offshoot of the growth seen over the past several years in China’s overall luxury market, as Chinese parents are known “to transfer their preferences in luxury goods to their children.”

According to the new Albatross Global Solutions survey of 900 respondents, 60 percent claim to have spent more than 3,000 yuan (US$474) per month on luxury goods for their offspring in 2011 – a significant 40% rise.

Nor is it a market that shows any signs of slowing, as profit margins are achieved more easily than on womenswear (less material used but prices remain high). Also beyond just luxury brands catching on, there is plenty to offer small and home grown label; “its a huge market” commented a research spokesperson for University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Arguably the popularity and growth of kidswear in China and the Middle East is largely helped by the size of the population as home grown brands have been known to merely ‘shrink’ their main womens wear designs and in doing so ‘create’ a childrens line.

Elsewhere for big brands like Burberry, there is still a way to go as reports show that kidswear for the heritage label only accounted for 4% of total percentage sales for the year up to March 2012.

Link to article: http://www.fashionunited.co.uk/fashion-news/fashion/china-big-market-for-kids-wear-2012060715035

DKNY ANNOUNCED AS THE EXCLUSIVE BRAND PARTNER FOR THE LAUNCH OF INTERACTIVE SOCIAL NETWORK EXPERIENCE FASHION WEEK LIVE.

DEVELOPED BY 505 GAMES, FUNCOM AND IMG WORLDWIDE.

DKNY will be the launch brand partner for Fashion Week Live the first interactive social network experience to authentically represent the fashion industry online.

Living exclusively on Facebook, Fashion Week Live challenges users to forge a career for themselves within the fashion world. Players can collaborate across many facets of the industry – from model styling, photography, show production and more. They can explore and activate their own individual talents, collaborate and network with each other to create and build various dimensions of the fashion industry and rise to fame with each challenge.

Kicking off Fashion Week Live’s launch is an exclusive brand partnership with DKNY. As users advance in the game, a DKNY boutique becomes available to them, with access to virtual authentic designs available for purchase as virtual goods. Players are also able to unlock unique DKNY job opportunities and experiences that will be presented to them by DKNY PR GIRL as they progress further within their fashion career.

“For DKNY, social gaming is a new way for us to engage with fans old and new. Through Fashion Week Live, we look forward to sharing the fashion industry experience in a highly interactive, digitally advanced forum”, says Patti Cohen, EVP Global Marketing & Communications for Donna Karan International.

“DKNY is the ideal debut partner for Fashion Week Live due to its global appeal and digital prowess and offers the perfect fit with our target player. Furthermore, the game brings together the most influential fashion brands and industry experts to create an interactive and relevant social network gaming experience with fashion’s most respected global gaming and fashion institutions.” said Tim Woodley, Head of Global Brand, 505 Games.

The IP, game concept and exclusive partners were brought together by IMG Licensing in collaboration with IMG Fashion.*

Fashion Week Live is available to play on Facebook now by visiting https://apps.facebook.com/fashionweekgame

For more information please contact the Suzy Socker or Sara Ashraf at Fearnhurst PR
Tel: 020 7258 2670
Email: suzy@fh-pr.com / sara@fh-pr.com

*The game concept was co-created by Noel Gordon.