A boutique owner who took on the world’s largest fashion retailer and won is urging other independent stores to stand up to big business.
Amber Kotrri, owns House of Zana, which trades online and from a single concept store in Darlington, County Durham. It specialises in handmade kimonos.
Inditex is a Spanish conglomerate with global multibillion pound sales and brands including Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Zara.
Kotrri said about two years ago she received a notice opposing her attempt to trademark her business name. It was followed by a lawyer’s letter suggesting that her store’s name was too similar to Zara and people could be confused.
She was given three months to stop using it and her first thought was to comply. “I mean, how do you fight something like that?”
Then she started going through the full implications of doing that – including removing all the labels from her handmade garments – and she started getting angry.
“I just couldn’t imagine signing that letter,” she said. “I didn’t see any similarity and no customer has ever seen a similarity so I decided I was going to fight it. I thought, I can easily give evidence on this because I believe so strongly in my brand.”
She shared her story on social media and that emboldened her further. “It was so much easier going to court,” she said. “I felt like I had everyone behind me, people were saying ‘this is ridiculous’.”
Zana in Albanian folklore is a protective fairy figure. “In the north of Albania, where my husband’s from, Zana also translates to giving people a voice,” said Kotrri, 28.
She dug in and after a year of to-ing and fro-ing the matter went to an intellectual property office tribunal. This month Judge Williams, in a lengthy judgment, ruled in her favour.
On Tuesday Kotrri was due to hold a celebration party in Darlington’s town square, including a fashion show, face painting, entertainment and food.
She said she hoped to send out a message. “It was a win for myself and my business but it is also for other independents out there who are going through this. This shows you can stand up to big businesses.”
A spokesperson for Zara said: “While we do not wish to comment on the judgment itself. We continue to wish Ms Kotrri and her business success in the future.”
