LONDON — Designer Jane Lewis, founder and owner of Goat Fashion London, is renaming the label Jane after selling her original global trademark to 1661/Goat Group for an undisclosed sum.
Lewis’ decision to sell follows more than a year of legal wrangling. As reported last September, a federal judge in Manhattan had preliminarily enjoined Goat Group, the sneaker and streetwear platform, from selling apparel and accessories using the Goat trademark.
More from WWD
The dispute had been rolling since December 2019 when Goat Fashion Ltd. began a trademark infringement and breach of contract lawsuit against 1661 Inc., which does business as Goat Group.
The court’s September decision came on the heels of Goat Group’s success in raising a $100 million investment from D1 Capital Partners to expand into the apparel market. D1’s investment valued Goat Group at $1.75 billion. Earlier this year the sneaker group attracted investment from Groupe Artémis, the Paris-based holding company founded by François-Henri Pinault.
“It seemed the prudent and astute thing to do, and we agreed on it amicably after a period of negotiation,” said Lewis in a telephone interview, adding that she was proud to have fought for herself and for her brand, which is a fraction of the size of 1661/Goat Group.
“It was a David and Goliath battle. I stood against them in full force, and it was extremely stressful. It was my most challenging year so far,” said Lewis, whose company is exempt from reporting full accounts at Companies House in the U.K., meaning that annual turnover is less than 10.2 million pounds.
She said that nothing beyond the name of her label will change, and that she’s excited, after two decades, for the business to bear her own name.
“I’ve always designed everything, and I don’t delegate to a team of designers. I’m still at the helm, although it’s more personal to me now that it’s called Jane. Things feel like they’ve come full circle, and I’ve come of age. I’ve unlocked something new, and have wind beneath my wings,” said Lewis.
The label’s ’60s-style, Space Age font, which Lewis had trademarked when she set up Goat, still belongs to her, and now it spells the word Jane. “It’s four letters to four letters, Goat to Jane, in the same font, and it means my aesthetic is even more cemented,” she said.
While the label itself is called Jane, it will be known as Jane Atelier in the URL and on social media. Lewis said the customer shouldn’t notice any differences at all.
The first collection under the new name is fall 2021, a lineup that is signature Lewis, with lots of ’60s-inspired, double-breasted coats, A-line dresses and skirts, flared trousers, pussy bow blouses and statement collars.