Primark has come under fire from a small clothing brand which claims it has gone "a step too far" after spotting alleged similarities between its logo and one used on the store's hoodies.
The high-street fashion giant has been known to stock 'dupes' of cheaper products of major brands. However, Hikerdelic Clothing has noted the alleged similarities between one of its logos and one used on Primark's Explore Nature Kids Hoodie.
The Manchester-based clothing company, founded by Proper Magazine’s Mark Smith and Neil Summers in 2012, shared a video to Instagram to highlight alleged the resemblance which Primark is now understood to be investigating.
The logos in question both feature a psychedelic appearance and appear to have a similar font on a background made of sunbeams, green hills and toadstools.
Hikerdelic wrote in an Instagram video: "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 brand explained that they decided to share the alleged resemblance on social media as a legal fight would be "a distraction and far too costly" for a small company.
They added: "This was the first logo we worked with [illustrator Darren Newman] on, and although we've got plenty more in our armory, it's the one that we began with. It's not just us who are affected but talented independent illustrators too. Would be terrible if it got widely shared wouldn't it?"
Hikerdelic co-founder Mark has said that he was "disappointed" and that he would be open to discussions with Primark to ensure that lessons are learned to stop the situation happening again.
He also explained that the brand "always keeps an open mind" and "appreciates" that brands often look elsewhere for inspiration with designs, but claims that this instance had a lot in common with their logo.
A spokesperson for Primark 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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