Court fast-tracks Victoria’s Secret PINK brand clash with London shirtmaker
Lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret has secured a fast-tracked trial in the High Court in London in October to determine whether a London-based shirtmaker breached a legal contract with the lingerie seller over its ‘PINK’ trademark.
The case stems from a High Court settlement between the two retail firms in 2015, in which the court ruled that Victoria’s Secret’s use of the name ‘PINK’ infringed British shirtmaker Thomas Pink’s UK and European trademark registrations.
The case is now due to be back in the London High Court, where the settlement was originally agreed.
In the 2015 settlement, Victoria’s Secret was given the right to object if the British shirtmaker used ‘PINK’ in any way outside of its renowned men’s shirts and suits.
However, Thomas Pink introduced a line of women’s T-shirts, leggings, sweatshirts and tracksuit bottoms with a ‘PINK’ logo, which Victoria’s Secret called “a radical style drift” away from its traditional menswear. The retail giant alleged the shirtmaker did not share its plans when asking for consent, which it granted on the basis that it would follow the retailer’s usual style.
According to the complaint, the lingerie company found the products on 13 August 2026 and filed the claim a month later.
Victoria’s Secret requested a temporary order from the court to force Thomas Pink to halt sales of the allegedly infringing products as the case advances.
Lingerie link reduces shirtmakers’ ‘luxurious reputation’
When the original trademark dispute hit the courts in 2014, Thomas Pink argued that Victoria’s Secret’s association with lingerie would damage its brand reputation as a high-brow menswear retailer.
The judge agreed, saying that because Victoria’s Secret’s business “aims to have a sexy, mass market appeal”, the trademark link “will cause consumers to associate the two.”
“This is bound to cause a change in the economic behaviour of the claimant’s customers. They will not see the community trade mark in the same way as before. The claimant’s trade mark will be associated with a mass market offering, reducing its luxurious reputation,” the judge said.
Victoria’s Secret and Thomas Pink were contacted for comment.