Clothes brand accuses Primark of going 'a step too far' with hoody | UK

One company has shared its frustration, claiming that Primark went a “step too far” and replicated its logo on a recent hoodie.

Manchester-based company Hikerdelic, founded in 2012 by Proper Magazine’s Mark Smith and Neil Summers, recently shared a video on social media showing the resemblance of its logo to a green Primark kids’ Explore Nature hoodie has been highlighted.

Designed by illustrator Daren Newman, Hikerdelic’s logo features a psychedelic-style grassy hillside under a pink and orange sunbeam, while the Primark design features a similarly styled hillside under a blue and orange sunbeam. The text on Hikerdelic’s logo and the Primark graphic both appear in a similar handwriting-style font, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The brand posted the two images to Hikerdelic’s Instagram and wrote: “We’ve been at this for a while. From time to time we find things similar to ours, but usually it’s just people who are influenced by similar things. It’s hard to be 100% original.

“However, in our opinion, this is a step too far from a corporate giant that we are all familiar with. We would be tempted to turn the other cheek and carry on as normal.

“Sometimes when someone slaps sand in your face, you have to let them know it’s not really on. At the end of the day, it’s a business that makes hundreds of millions a year in clear profits. They don’t have to step on tiptoe.”

The post added, “This was the first logo we worked on with @daren_newman and while we have many more in our armory, this is what we started with. Not only are we affected, but talented independent illustrators are too. ”

Since its inception, Hikerdelic Clothing has worked on collaborations with leading brands such as Barbour and Novesta and is now available in retail stores around the world. Hikerdelic’s style has previously been described as a hybrid of ’60s Colorado’ and the late ’80s acid house scene.

Speaking to the MEN, co-founder Mark said he was “disappointed” to see the close resemblance to the Hikerdelic logo on the Primark outfit and said he believed it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Primark said they are investigating the matter and are in talks with the brand.

“We’re always open-minded and appreciate that brands sometimes look to the same places for inspiration, leading to similarities in design,” explained Mark. “On this occasion, however, this one seems to have a lot in common with our logo.

“More than a few people have pointed this out to us, and given the amount of work we’ve done over a number of years in our own way to grow the brand, it shouldn’t be happening.”

Mark said he is open to discussions with Primark but wants to ensure lessons are learned to prevent the situation from repeating itself.

“Unfortunately, this has happened and cannot be undone,” he added. “We like talking to them, but we can’t take it lightly. This must not happen and we must ensure that something like this does not happen again.

“It’s not easy to start a brand from scratch like we did, it takes a lot of time, effort and money and we mustn’t undermine that.”

A Primark spokesman said: “We were concerned to learn of an issue with the design of a kids’ hoodie we sold last year. We are investigating and are in contact with the brand.”