# Clothing line name



## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

Ok so i finally thought of a clothing line name. I googled it and of course someone else already thought of it. too. Heres the thing tho, their website is on weebly.com so its thewebsitename.weebly.com
On the webpage its not copyright or trade marked or anything. How do i go about seeing if i can get it or should i let it be?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

If it's already being used, then they own it. As long as they can prove "first use," it doesn't matter if their website is on weebly.com or that they don't yet have a registered trademark. You can contact them and ask to "buy" the name. Or you can choose a different one. Using a name that's already being used would be risky. They could take action for infringement if they find out and want to go that route.


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

What if his name is blah blah clothing
And mine is blah blah apparel? Is that legal?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

No, that doesn't help.

The words "clothing" and "apparel" are descriptive of the products you sell, not a distinctive element of the brand name. So in trademark terms, those words will be overlooked. That leaves both brand names as "blah blah," which is obviously an issue.

You would need to distinctively change or add to the "blah blah" name to make it different enough so that it is not to be confused with the existing brand name.


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## technician79 (Oct 9, 2006)

kimura-mma said:


> No, that doesn't help.
> 
> The words "clothing" and "apparel" are descriptive of the products you sell, not a distinctive element of the brand name. So in trademark terms, those words will be overlooked. That leaves both brand names as "blah blah," which is obviously an issue.
> 
> You would need to distinctively change or add to the "blah blah" name to make it different enough so that it is not to be confused with the existing brand name.


Great advice kimura-mma. kfan84, definitely take kimura's advice, spending $375+ on a trademark, you do not want it to get rejected. There's no refunds. 

kimura-mma. Say theres already a trademark called "fightmma". Would it be ok to apply for one with the name "fitemma"? or would it get rejected? Thanks man.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

technician79 said:


> Say theres already a trademark called "fightmma". Would it be ok to apply for one with the name "fitemma"? or would it get rejected?


It would probably get rejected. Part of what the examining attorney looks at is the sight, sound and meaning of the mark. While these two examples may look different, they sound and mean the same thing. 1 out of 3 will probably lead to a rejection.


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## technician79 (Oct 9, 2006)

kimura-mma said:


> It would probably get rejected. Part of what the examining attorney looks at is the sight, sound and meaning of the mark. While these two examples may look different, they sound and mean the same thing. 1 out of 3 will probably lead to a rejection.


Dang, they're strict. Ok, not 100% sure about this one. How about, if there's already a trademark for "reversible" and I tried to register "rvsbl" or "rvcbal" or some crap like that which can means "reversible" but can be pronounced "r-v-s-b-l" On the forms, am I suppose to write out the meaning of the combined letters? or can I just state that I like the combination of the letters. Sorry if this still falls in the same category as your reply above. 

Sorry kfan84 for hijacking your thread.


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

Lol its cool ur asking questions i would probably ask eventually


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## technician79 (Oct 9, 2006)

kfan84 said:


> Lol its cool ur asking questions i would probably ask eventually


Cool. Thanks.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

technician79 said:


> On the forms, am I suppose to write out the meaning of the combined letters? or can I just state that I like the combination of the letters.


If it's not a legible word, you will probably be asked for the meaning. You can give either answer, but one would be more truthful than the other. May seem like a little white lie, but I wouldn't advise being fraudulent on a trademark application. You're better off finding a name that is unique and exclusive to you, rather than forcing an obscure spelling that most consumers will not connect with.

I'm not really sure how the USPTO will react to an uncommon spelling of a word. It probably depends on the specific situation. Some may get rejected. Some may be fine.


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## technician79 (Oct 9, 2006)

kimura-mma said:


> If it's not a legible word, you will probably be asked for the meaning. You can give either answer, but one would be more truthful than the other. May seem like a little white lie, but I wouldn't advise being fraudulent on a trademark application. You're better off finding a name that is unique and exclusive to you, rather than forcing an obscure spelling that most consumers will not connect with.
> 
> I'm not really sure how the USPTO will react to an uncommon spelling of a word. It probably depends on the specific situation. Some may get rejected. Some may be fine.


Thanks kimura-mma. All this trademark stuff is pretty complicated. I guess that's why there's TM attorneys. Last couple of questions for now if you don't mind. Say, I apply for a TM myself and it later gets rejected. Can I now pursue it again with a TM Attorney and not pay the USPTO fee again? 

Last question regarding your reply to kfan84 about adding a word to "blah blah". Say there's already a trademark for "knockout fit" do you think I can go ahead with applying for "knockout fit labs" Thanks again. Have a great day.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

technician79 said:


> Say, I apply for a TM myself and it later gets rejected. Can I now pursue it again with a TM Attorney and not pay the USPTO fee again?


In most cases, when there is an issue with your application, you are given a chance to respond (as opposed to your application being flat out rejected). So if you wanted to seek assistance from an attorney when responding to the USPTO, that should be fine. You wouldn't have to pay the fee again unless you needed to start over with a completely different trademark.



technician79 said:


> Say there's already a trademark for "knockout fit" do you think I can go ahead with applying for "knockout fit labs"


Is "labs" distinctive? Or is it describing the product? What exactly separates the two? How would the average consumer know that "knockout fit labs" is not a product made by "knockout labs?"

Every situation is different. It's impossible to know how an examining attorney will see it. The existing trademark owner will also have the opportunity to oppose the new application. Too many variables to give an accurate answer.


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

Ok back to my question tho,
Blah blah clothing more than likely apply for trade marks or anything like that just looks like hes using the name i want on his shirts. Im not 100% sure but im almost tempted to put the money out so i can have it. Just because hes using the name means its his? Its not who registers it first???


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## technician79 (Oct 9, 2006)

kimura-mma said:


> In most cases, when there is an issue with your application, you are given a chance to respond (as opposed to your application being flat out rejected). So if you wanted to seek assistance from an attorney when responding to the USPTO, that should be fine. You wouldn't have to pay the fee again unless you needed to start over with a completely different trademark.
> 
> 
> Is "labs" distinctive? Or is it describing the product? What exactly separates the two? How would the average consumer know that "knockout fit labs" is not a product made by "knockout labs?"
> ...


You made some great points about the knockout labs situation. Thanks for your help.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

In the US, ownership of a trademark is based on first use, not first to register. I wouldn't advise applying for a mark you know is already in use. Could be a costly mistake.

The real issue is whether the other company is just using the mark on their shirts or is actually their brand name. Are they using the mark on hang tags or neck labels? That's a clear indication that it's a trademark.


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

No they are using the name as a brand, im not sure about the labels i think hes just silk screening name and initials of the name on shirts... Website said he draws the designs and takes it to a local silk screener


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

If he's using the name as a brand, then he has common law rights to it as a trademark. You can contact an attorney and see what rights you have to use it in a different market. But be prepared for any legal issues that may come from that.


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

Lets see if im going to pass with this one. 
Theres a "car club" that meets weekly, they used to have a website, it fell i grabbed it. Owned it for months. They still meet up. But i like there name they go by. 
There just a big group of friends they never sold clothing or anything.

Can i use there carclub name and add "clothing"to the end of it and sell shirts on the webaddress i own?


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

Sorry for grammar auto correct :-(


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

If they own a trademark for the name, I would steer clear of using it. If not, it really comes down to how risky you think it is to use it. Adding the word "clothing" does not make it distinctive. Owning the domain name does not give you trade name rights. If the name is in use, you need to properly research to make sure your use does not infringe on theirs. I know that is why you're asking, but without knowing the specifics, it's impossible to answer.


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

Its only a car meet up group that has a facebook group


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## RickyJ702 (Jul 23, 2012)

don't use the word "apparel" also. you'll be looked down from other brands. brands that uses apparel in their clothing lines means someone else has same name. it's better to be original and have a meaning of everything involved into that brand you make.


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## codyjoe (May 6, 2013)

I've run into this personally and your best bet is to search for the legal business name or trademark. If they never officially licensed the name then you have free-reign to do so yourself.


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

codyjoe said:


> If they never officially licensed the name then you have free-reign to do so yourself.


This is not entirely true.

If the name is not registered as a trademark with the USPTO, it's very possible to go ahead and get the name trademarked for yourself. But if the other party eventually takes action, the ownership of the mark will go to whoever can prove first use. In the US, first use is what proves ownership, not first to register.

So if the name is already in use, it's possible you can lose rights to the name even if you are the first to register it.


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## codyjoe (May 6, 2013)

kimura-mma said:


> In the US, first use is what proves ownership, not first to register.


I stand corrected. Thanks for that info, never knew that.


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## platnumcn (Aug 5, 2013)

I just had a question myself and I know this would be hijacking the track, still I am asking it "If the site is x.weebly.com, why cant we have x.com sites?

I see a lot of sites, which belong to different people, but names are like
x.com
x.org
x.info
x.net

So are they a concern as well?


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## kfan84 (Nov 17, 2011)

1. Bringing this back up from the dead I now have a slightly different question... I came across a Name that made something else besides t shirts, they totally stopped using the name and its actually for sale. Problem is I emailed the people and they never contacted me back when I was asking about it. I checked the trademark website and its not listed in their because I think its from Europe. If i made shirts and started selling them in the usa Im guessing thats not allowed correct? 

2. for my 2nd question that relates to this thread... Say I think of a cool name, Google it and 2 different people are putting this phrase on their shirts. the one guy has his company under is own personal name and has a brand of the phrase I think is cool. The other guy has his company name as the phrase I think is cool. Neither of them are on the trademark website. I was wondering if I could be the 3rd person to use that phrase. 
Thanks is Advanced sorry for being all over the place


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

kfan84 said:


> I checked the trademark website and its not listed in their because I think its from Europe. If i made shirts and started selling them in the usa Im guessing thats not allowed correct?


If they only sold their products in Europe, they wouldn't have any rights to the name in any market in the US. If they did sell in the US, they could have rights to the name even without a trademark registration. But since they didn't make or sell shirts, then it's possible you can use the name. Try consulting with a local IP attorney to get a definite answer.



kfan84 said:


> Say I think of a cool name, Google it and 2 different people are putting this phrase on their shirts. the one guy has his company under is own personal name and has a brand of the phrase I think is cool. The other guy has his company name as the phrase I think is cool. Neither of them are on the trademark website. I was wondering if I could be the 3rd person to use that phrase.


Using the name on shirts is considered ornamental (not eligible for trademark), so that wouldn't prohibit you from using the name as your brand name.

Using the name as a corporate name (officially registered with the state), is also separate from a trademark. This won't prohibit you from using the name as your brand name either.

Only if one of them are using the name as a brand name would you have issues. Even if the name isn't registered as a trademark, someone could own common law rights just by using it as a brand name in commerce.


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

I'll be honest: people spend way too much time on coming up with a business name. I spend exactly 0 minutes on it, and I launch a business or two a year.

You know who cares about the name? No one. Call it Uncle Ida's Kitchen and sell t-shirts, and if you do a great job, people will know you.

Call it Max's Amazing Shirts, but do a poor job, and no one will recognize you.

The name doesn't matter. Pick 3 random words from a dictionary. Google them in quotation marks. If it wasn't used, grab the domain name and go out and make money.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

treefox2118 said:


> I'll be honest: people spend way too much time on coming up with a business name. I spend exactly 0 minutes on it, and I launch a business or two a year.
> 
> You know who cares about the name? No one. Call it Uncle Ida's Kitchen and sell t-shirts, and if you do a great job, people will know you.
> 
> ...


I'll be honest, too.  You state your opinion as if it's fact. It's simply not fact. It's your opinion.  Here's my opinion:

I've seen too many businesses either fail because they had the wrong name for their brand, or spent a king's ransom in marketing to overcome the choice of a bad name.

In addition, I've been married for 18 years to a marketing genius that not only has worked on some of the biggest marketing campaigns for 1 of the biggest insurance companies in the world, but who also has her own business where she's brought several struggling small businesses out of the dumpster to millions of dollars in the black, all by making their marketing more effective. In almost every instance, in addition to other marketing efforts, there was a name change.

I will agree that depending upon your market, it *may* not matter. But, some target markets actually care about what a brand name is. Again, we're talking about a BRAND, not just a business name for a funny collection of shirt designs.

Name a brand the wrong thing, even with great shirts, and you're going to have a problem selling shirts. Naming your brand is part of your overall branding strategy, particularly if you're going to be selling to a discriminating market.

Just coming up with something that doesn't fit what you're doing and selling great products is going to limit your potential. Can you do well with a bad name and great products/service? Yeah, you can. 

But, I argue that however well you're doing, you could do MUCH better with a name that actually *fits* what your brand is.

Again, this is all market dependent. If you sell funny shirts, most of your customers won't care what the name of the company is that sells the funny shirts. They aren't buying a brand, they're just buying a shirt.

But, if you're selling a *brand*, you've got much more work to do than just slapping on the first name that comes to mind. With a good brand name, you can provoke thought and curiousity in your brand/products/services, getting more people interested in seeing what have to offer.

On the opposite end, with a bad name, you could competely turn people away that won't even take the time to see how good or bad your brand/products/services are. 

Marketing is a psychological endeavor. You've got to win the battle of getting into consumer's minds in order to get them to trade their money for your product/service. The right brand name can get you half-way to winning that battle before they even know what your products are.

I suggest taking the time to find out what you want to convey with your brand, and come up with a name that matches it that will get consumers interested before they even know what you have.

Do you still need great products and service? Absolutely. But I can almost guarantee you that if you can have a name that does what I described, you'll outperform someone with equal products and services that just threw a name on their brand.


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

Name 10 successful *fashion* brands whose names fit the market that they cater to. I'm curious as to where you're coming from, because in 20 years of working in various fashion markets (from skakeboarding to catwalk shows to boutique tailored to cut and sew) I have yet to really notice a name that fits the market.

The most famous names out there make no sense whatsoever. 

ADIDAS? Named after Adolf Dassler.

Nike? Greek Goddess of victory -- and I would bet no Nike fans know that.

Victoria's Secret? Ok, that name makes sense to me. But did it make sense when it came out?

L.L. Bean. Lol.

American Eagle. Uhh, no.

Converse. No, makes no sense.

Old Navy. Not even close.

Forever 21. This one actually does make sense.

Vans. Wait, they sell shoes, not big cars. Weird, eh?

GAP. Huh? What's that have to do with stylish and cheap clothes?

H&M. Yeah, I think hipster business style when I see two letters together.

So now you post 10 lines that DO connect with their market. I'd love to see 10. And not "Uncle Bob's Hunting Brand, Inc."


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

Before I address your post, I would like to point out that I didn't say that you couldn't be successful with a bad name or a name that didn't connect. Just that it's much easier to be successful if you can make that connection, especially in today's fierce, competitive market. But you *can* do it by spending a king's ransom on marketing. 

My point was that it's your business, and you've got the ability to call it just about whatever you want to call it. With that ability comes the ability to connect your business name to your products thoughtfully, and strategically. Thereby connecting your customers and potential customers to your brand.

On to your post...

Lots of the brands you mentioned started over 40 years ago and in a few over 50 years ago and used lots of hard work and took a long time to gain brand recognition. After getting brand recognition, their brand name then really didn't matter much because they then used their marketing dollars to continue to compete. Competition wasn't as fierce when they started though, and the market not as descriminating. Even still several of them actually started with a king's ransom, which further goes to prove my point.

Vans actually went bankrupt at one point. Part of their success was that they sold decent shoes for as little as $5 even just a few years ago. It's easy to overcome a bad name when you've got even a halway decent product for that cheap. Word gets out... If you print halfway decent designs on American Apparel and sell them for $6, you can sell lots, too. But you also might go bankrupt eventually like Vans, did.

Old Navy is owned by Gap. Again, HUGE multinational corporation that could have called it anything, and used marketing dollars to be successful.

Which brings me to GAP. Donald Fisher and his wife started GAP with $63,000 in 1969. I've been here long enough to know that most people that come here don't have $63,000 even in TODAY'S dollars to start their brand. What's interesting is that $63,000 in 1969 is equivalent to over $400,000 today. Give just about anybody $400,000 to start a brand, and you can do what I said before...overcome your bad name with marketing dollars.

By the time Nike was actually Nike, the company Phil Knight was running was already successful. He actually hired an advertising agency when he started Nike. Again, money to overcome a name that didn't automatically connect. 

For Addidas, when you can start by getting a world class athlete to wear your shoes on the way to winning a few gold medals, it really doesn't matter what you call your company. 

I could go on with the rest of your list, but I think I've made my point.

Now, I ask you to do what people here are trying to do. Show me 1 on that list that started in the last 9 years (the length of time this forum has existed) that didn't start with a huge marketing budget. Like I said earlier, you can overcome a bad name with money. But trying to compete with established brands and starting with just any name is foolish. Especially when you have the ability to use wit and ingenuity to be creative and make it something great.

Many people here are trying to compete with those brands that have been around since before they were born. They don't have the money, marketing savvy, or know-how to compete with those kinds of brands. What they do have though is the ability to win half the battle by naming their company something good that fits.

Johnny Cupcakes wouldn't be as succesful if he named his brand Kitchen Food. I've been in his LA Store and his flagship store in Boston, and spent time on his site. His brand definitely connects.

Crooks and Castles is another. The brand name fits exactly what the brand represents.

DGK also does it very well.

Under Armour is fantastic. Kevin Plank couldn't have come up with a better name. If he named it Tough Stuff, or Hard Apparel, I really doubt that he would have become as successful as quickly as he did, even with the exact same product. The name is half the battle with Under Armour. Now he's competing with the brands that had been around years before him. But I believe it wasn't until 9 years after starting the company that he acutually started to pay himself. 

He started with a great name that signified what his product was/stood for, and combined it with a great product.

I think you would be hard pressed to find any recent MAJOR succesful brand that didn't have loads of cash at startup and overcame a bad name or a name that didn't connect. That's my only point. 

Be smart. Take the time to name your brand something meaninful that connects with what your brand represents, and your path will be much smoother. I don't see the point in making it harder to be successful. Who wants to purposefully put obstacles in their way of success?


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

What does Johnny Cupcakes sell? Cupcakes?

No. He sells fashion. Certainly his fashion has a cupcake in it, but that's the great gimmick he found. It's still a fashion line and yet his name doesn't encompass fashion. That's why I said originally the guy can call it Uncle Ida's Kitchen and if his quality and service is solid, he will make money and create a recognizable brand later.

As for the list of popular company names, I would say that the up and comers are more likely to have names that don't connect necessarily with what they offer.

Superdry opened in the mid 00's. Half a billion dollars in revenue expected in 2014.

Nasty Gal did $100 million last year. There is no way that company is over 10 years old. And the name isn't very pleasant and happy, nor does it really encompass fashion.

ASOS is another relatively new company that was founded by 2 guys in the early 2000s. Probably around a decade old. I believe their last annual said they were going to do $1 billion this year. Look at the name.

7 For All Mankind (my favorite jean purveyor) launched in the 00s. Bought out by VFC less than a decade into production.

I can name 5000 brands that started up in the past decade that are successful today and don't have names that make any sense whatsoever. I can probably only name 10 that have names that connect with their brand.

DGK came from "dirthy ghetto kids" (I was a skateboard retailer for over a decade and know the founder), but they never used that phrase publicly. DGK doesn't mean anything at all. It's just letters. No connection to the skateboard industry. But it's successful. Same with KR3W -- started by a 19 year old, doesn't mean anything at all.



> Many people here are trying to compete with those brands that have been around since before they were born. They don't have the money, marketing savvy, or know-how to compete with those kinds of brands. What they do have though is the ability to win half the battle by naming their company something good that fits.


All I am saying is many people go spending weeks and months on a name when the guy can be out there learning to design better or working 2-3 extra jobs to save more money for a bigger launch... 

The name is unnecessary. Spend that time learning better design skills, or saving more money. Pick any 3 words out of a dictionary at random, register the domain name, and sell your design voice.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

You're confusing the issue. One, you put the stipulation of "fashion brand", and most people here don't have anything to do with "fashion". They're printing designs on regular t-shirts.


> I can name 5000 brands that started up in the past decade that are successful today and don't have names that make any sense whatsoever. I can probably only name 10 that have names that connect with their brand.


This is where I think you really missed what my point is. It doesn't have to connect with what the brand is. I NEVER said that it had to connect to what the brand is. But whatever it is, it must be GOOD. It has to connect with who the target market it. And you CAN'T do that by just naming it anything. 

Secondly, my point was that the name connects with the target market for which the brand is in. DGK is perfect. Everyone who knew Stevie knew exactly what DGK meant. And it was marketed to and for those "dirty ghetto kids". They connected with the name. That's my point.

Same thing with Johnny Earle. There's a reason that there's cupcakes in the name and not strawberries. Because the brand revolves around cupcakes. You asserted that you can call it whatever, I showed differently.

Even in the case of Nasty Gal. I NEVER said that the name had to be pleasant, only that it needed to connect with the brand and the target market. Nasty Gal's name connects with their target market perfectly. THAT's my point. Is it called Nasty Guy? Or even Nice Gal? No. Because those names don't fit what their target market is. 

This is what I said earlier:



> But, some target markets actually care about what a brand name is.


That's exatly what Sophia did with Nasty Gal, and Stevie did with DGK. They knew who they were selling to, and they knew what kind of name their target market would go for.

They didn't just throw a name on it. Go read why Nasty Gal is called what's called. There was actual THOUGHT put into it. As opposed to just slapping a name on it. 

You're proving my point! Nasty Gal did 100million last year, and they are one of the brands that didn't take your advice of just slapping a name on their brand. Sophia knew what she wanted to portray with her brand and she picked a name that went right along with that portrayal, and most definitely taking into consideration the market that she wanted to target.

Superdry is just a cool name. And I can guarantee you that not only thought, but money went into it. The brand was actually called Cult Clothing before the name change. I would encourage you to look into how and why the name change came about. It's EXACTLY why my point is what it is. Cult Clothing was ok. But Superdry with the same products makes it something else altogether. Which is my point, which it seems you keep glossing over.

Take the time to develop a good name. Make it catchy. Make it sound good. Make it sound inviting. Make it be pleasing to those that you want to buy it. Make it mean something. Doing any or all of those things is putting thought into it, which is MUCH better than just calling it anything. That's my point.


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

You've said it yourself, though: 

1. successful brands today didn't just happen based a name, and
2. some of them had different names to start out with

Branding is expensive. It takes market analyses, it takes promotional budgets, it takes trial and error. It isn't something to be super concerned about at the start.

What do the best brands all have in common? They produce an attractive product. Make an attractive product and you can probably name it Latrine Stink and it'll sell. Heck, I'd wager that I can release a line called Latrine Stink and make it successful enough. Name means nothing if your design skills suck. 

Most people I meet who want to launch a fashion oriented business spend months on their name, and spend no time learning what people want.

Stop wasting time on a name, and start getting your design voice loud and desirable.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

treefox2118 said:


> You've said it yourself, though:
> 
> 1. successful brands today didn't just happen based a name, and
> 2. some of them had different names to start out with
> ...


I agree with some of what you say here.

Branding IS expensive. That's why it's important to start with the right name.

You say that you can start a brand called Latrine Stink and make it successful enough. I have no doubt that I could do the same. 

At some point though, you're going to have to find the people that not only like the designs, but also like the name. Because the same people that buy Under Armour, probably wouldn't buy it if it was called Latrine Stink.

Same product, just a different name. Nowhere near as successful, though.

The only way it's going to be successful though is if you market to the right people that would like a brand called Latrine Sink. LOTS of people have no clue about how to go about marketing their brand.

Remember marketing is expensive. We agree on that. But what isn't expensive is knowing what your target market likes, and coming up with a name to fit your target market.

Saying it's wasting time to come up with a name that your market will like is like saying that all marketing is pointless. Your name is part of your marketing, and if you miss the boat on that or think it's pointless, then you're missing a key point of your branding strategy.

Your name, your logo, your products and desigsn all go together to make up what your brand is. All I'm saying it that you need to take the time to make each one of those things the best they can possibly be.

Again, I NEVER said that you couldn't be successful by NOT doing it that way. Only that you give yourself a MUCH better chance at success by putting everything you have into all of those phases rather than neglecting one of them.

You said that your name means nothing if your design skills suck. I will say that if you don't know how to market it doesn't matter how good your design skills are. Eventually, it's going to come down to getting as many people as possible in your target market to part with their money.

If you can't reach them with marketing, you can be Picasso and it won't matter. As a matter of fact, if you're lacking in any of the areas I mentioned above, you're limiting your success.

Be great in all of them, and sky's the limit. What you're advocating is completely ignoring one of the EASIEST and least expensive parts of your marketing and branding strategy.

It's just not wise in opinion to neglect something that important.


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