Hermes sues small accessory company: Thursday Friday

Los Angeles is a funny city--both fashion-forward yet still so casual and beachy. A favored luxury brand that many Los Angelans prefer to carry include the classic luxe brand Hermes. And now you can have both! An Hermes Birkin and a casual beachy tote! Nonetheless, Hermes makes press headlines yet again. But this time this luxury leather brand is making press outside of their company takeover by LVMH and taking it to the courts over counterfeited goods. Mind you, this isn't any ordinary counterfeit lawsuit. Hermes is taking the accessories company Thursday Friday to court for selling canvas totes with images of the classic Hermes Birkin printed on them. According to Thursday Friday, "the Together Bag is a canvas tote perfect for groceries, gym clothes, books, and extras. Take it shopping, or bring it to work/school. Pair it with your handbag or use it in place of one – you can work it into any day look." Apparently consumers are smitten by this casual take on the Birkin. Available with brown, red and navy Birkin images, the Together Bag from Thursday Friday is flying off e-commerce shelves for a mere $35 and they're back ordered until March! The lawsuit paperwork states, "Hermes created, manufactures and sells the iconic 'Birkin' handbag. Through enormous sales, publicity and media attention, the appearance of the Birkin Bag has become immediately recognizable to millions of women. Defendant is selling cotton tote bags which bear on each of their surfaces, a color photograph of the corresponding surfaces of what appears to be a Birkin Bag, Defendant is simply riding on the reputation and recognition of the Birkin Bag to sell its otherwise generic tote bags. In so doing, Defendant is creating confusion among the public and is putting Plaintiff's reputation at risk."