High Street rivals lose their cool over £99 ‘copycoat’
Top fashion brands at war in plagiarism row over Winter collection
TRENDY clothing rivals Superdry and Jack Wills are embroiled in a bitter row over copycat coats.
Superdry accuses the smaller brand of using confidential information to mimic its winter range.
But in a withering putdown, the Jack Wills camp dismissed the accusation, claiming its clothes are for fashionable teens, while Superdry is for their ‘mums and dads’.
‘Why would we want to copy their designs? Our clothes are worn by gorgeous, cool young people and theirs appeal to the middle-aged,’ said a company insider, adding that the brands are ‘at the other end of the spectrum from each other. Superdry is worn by mums and dads. Jack Wills is for their teenage kids. It considers itself a British heritage brand, and so doesn’t regard Superdry as a competitor.’
A Superdry insider last night shot back: ‘Our customers have grown up with us and we’re proud to appeal to cool kids and cool parents.’
Superdry – which last year sold £872 million of clothing compared with its competitor’s £142 million – alleges that its former head of international business development, Greg Roberts, took top-secret data to Jack Wills when he became its wholesale boss last November.
The firm believes Jack Wills has used this information – which includes details on best- selling clothes, contracts, factories and special materials used – to try to jazz up its winter coats range.
Lawyers have identified a series of Jack Wills garments that they say bear a striking resemblance to Superdry designs. Superdry points to similarities between its £114.99 Glacier Biker Jacket, with a furry hood, and Jack Wills’ fur-free £99 Cuffley Padded Jacket.
Superdry has threatened to seek an injunction from the High Court to stop Jack Wills from releasing its winter coats. Founded in 2003 by high-profile Remain campaigner Julian Dunkerton, Superdry had a setback in the High Court last week when a judge refused to force Jack Wills to release a series of internal emails connected to the case.
But its bosses have vowed to fight on. A spokesman said: ‘Superdry products are . . . a result of the hard work, creativity and dedication of STYLE WARS: The Cuffley, left, and Glacier jackets at the centre of the row
‘Our clothes are worn by gorgeous, cool people’
our people and must be protected from exploitation by competitors.’
Jack Wills said it was pleased the court hearing went in its favour.
TRENDY clothing rivals Superdry and Jack Wills are squaring up against one another in a courtroom tussle over copycat coats, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Superdry, a favourite of celebrities such as David Beckham and Kate Winslet, has accused Jack Wills of using its confidential information – allegedly passed on by an executive who moved between the firms – to jazz up its winter jackets collection this year.
The legal fight makes for a fascinating public spat between two companies that like to portray themselves as achingly cool. Behind the feud is a bitter battle of the brands.
Jack Wills recruits attractive young students as ‘seasonnaires’ or ambassadors whose job is to be seen in desirable locations such as Martha’s Vineyard looking gorgeous in its outfits.
And though Superdry has its celebrity fans, it has recently come to be associated with ‘dads at f est i vals’ and s ome fashionistas believe it has lost its edge.
The legal row comes at a tough time for retailers, with shoppers tightening their belts ahead of Brexit and bricks-and-mortar shops struggling with high business rates and competition from online- only firms.
Jack Wills was, at its peak, incredibly popular with its target teen and early twenties market, despite charging £ 26.95 for a women’s ‘ boyfriend’ tee shirt and £199 for a Chelsea wool blend coat – hefty price tags for students.
But recently its financial results have been disappointing. The company’s chief executive, Peter Williams, 44, who co-founded the brand in Salcombe, Devon, in 1999, is being ousted by its private equity owner, BlueGem, as concerns mount over performance.
The firm has suffered in part due to Brexit and the falling pound, which has made imports more expensive, and ran up losses of £955,000 before tax in the year to January 2017.
BlueGem has drafted in retail guru Rob Templeman as an adviser to the brand. Williams is being replaced by former Debenhams trading director Suzanne Harlow.
Superdry has also had a tumultuous year. Its co-founder, Julian Dunkerton, 53, shocked investors in March by announcing his departure from the brand he set up in Cheltenham in 2003. Dunkerton, whose fortune is estimated at £440 million, recently remarried and said he wanted to pursue other business and charity interests.
The share price is nearly 30 per cent lower than before Dunker ton’ s exit, having dropped from 1655p to 1183p.
Chief executive Euan Sutherland last month announced a special dividend, boasting he had delivered ‘ double- digit growth in sales and profits’.
Profits before tax were actually down by 23 per cent to £65 million in the year to April, though the company claimed this was due to exchange rate movements and a write-off on investment in a new flagship store in Berlin. Underlying profits were up by 11.5 per cent to £97 million.
Dunkerton caused controversy this month by saying he was giving £ 1 million to the People’s Vote, the group campaigning for a second Brexit referendum. He said the firm owed some of its success to Britain’s EU membership.
His move prompted Brexit supporters to call for a boycott of Superdry’s clothes. But Remainers hit back, suggesting some Brexit supporters were too tubby to fit in its outfits.