Primark has been accused of going a ‘step too far’ and replicating the logo of a Manchester clothes brand on a recent hoody.
Manchester-based Hikerdelic, which was founded by Proper Magazine’s Mark Smith and Neil Summers back in 2012, recently shared a video on social media highlighting the resemblance of its logo compared with a green Primark ‘Explore Nature’ kids hoody.
Hikerdelic’s logo, created by illustrator Daren Newman, features a psychedelic-style grassy hill below a pink and orange sunshine whilst the Primark design features a similarly-designed hill below a blue and orange ray of sunshine. The text on Hikerdelic's logo and the Primark graphic both appear in a similar handwriting-style font.
Posting the two images on Hikerdelic’s Instagram account, the brand wrote: “We've been sitting on this for a while. From time to time we find stuff out there similar to ours, but usually it's just a case of people being influenced by similar things. It's hard to be 100% original.
“This though, from a corporate behemoth we're all familiar with, is a step too far, in our opinion. We'd be tempted to turn the other cheek and get on with doing our thing normally.
"Sometimes though, when someone kicks sand in your face you've got 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 profit. They don't need to step on toes."
The post added: "This was the first logo we worked with @daren_newman on, and although we've got plenty more in our armoury, it's the one that we began with. It's not just us who are affected but talented independent illustrators too.”
Since its inception, Hikerdelic Clothing has worked on collaborations with leading brands like Barbour and Novesta and is now stocked in retail stores around the world. Hikerdelic’s style has previously been described as a fusion of ‘Colorado in the 60s’ mixed in with the ‘late 80s Acid House’ scene.
Speaking to the M.E.N, co-founder Mark said he was 'disappointed' to see the close similarities to Hikerdelic's logo on the Primark outfit and said he believed it should never have happened in the first place. Primark said they are investigating the matter and are in discussions with the brand.
“We always keep an open mind and appreciate brands are sometimes seeking inspiration in the same places, and that results in similarities with designs,” Mark explained. “On this occasion though, this one does seem 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 have done on growing the brand, in our own way over a number of years, this type of thing should not happen.”
Mark said he is open to discussions with Primark but wants to make sure lessons are learnt in order to stop the situation from happening again.
“Unfortunately this has been done and can't be reversed,” he added. “We're reasonably happy to talk to them, but we can't take it lightly. It shouldn't happen and we have to ensure that things like this don't happen again.
“It is not easy starting a brand from scratch as we've done, it takes a lot of time, effort and money and we can't let that be undermined.”
A Primark spokesperson said: “We were concerned to learn of an issue regarding the design of a kids’ hoodie we sold last year. We are investigating this and are in touch with the brand.”
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