gucci lost a lawsuit against Japanese brand Cuggl, which uses a logo on its t-shirts that looks very similar to luxury brand t-shirts. But it’s a parody, not a forgery, the court says. The entire trial says a lot about Japan’s quirky fashion culture.

Challenge to luxury brands

Japanese fashion startup Cuggl specializes in parodying luxury brands with T-shirts that boldly incorporate the brand’s logo. For example, the name Cuggl seems to have little in common with Gucci until the bottom half of the name is strategically made invisible with a shirt. The same goes for the patented name GUANFI, which suddenly looks suspiciously like Chanel.

However, the Japanese patent office has now determined that consumers are smarter than that and there can be no real confusion, so Gucci has no reason to protest against Cuggl. According to the Financial Times, the startup has no “good intentions and bad reputation abuse” as Gucci claimed.

Cuggl parodies many other big names, from Puma to Prada, so it fits perfectly with Japan’s idiosyncratic fashion culture. In a country of contrasts, many creative clothing brands and subcultures challenge the established fashion world with humor and innovation. Discover exciting retailers and trends with RetailDetail’s Retailhunt to Tokyo.