Crocodile Garments

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Crocodile Garments
Company typeRetail
IndustryGarments
Founded1952
Headquarters
Hong Kong
,
Hong Kong
ProductsClothes
WebsiteOfficial website

Crocodile Garments (Chinese: 鱷魚恤; Jyutping: ngok6 ju2 seot1; Cantonese Yale: ngohk yú sēut) SEHK: 122 is a textile and garments company based in Hong Kong. Crocodile Garments was founded by the late Dr. Chan Shun (1917-1997) in 1952.

History

When he was young, Chan learnt to sew and fix sewing machines, which he used to earn money while traveling between Chinese towns in his teenage years.[1] Chan founded his company, then called the Li Wah Man Shirt Factory (Chinese: 利華民恤衫廠; Jyutping: lei6 waa4 man4 seot1 saam1 cong2; Cantonese Yale: leih wàh màhn sēut sāam chóng), in 1952.[2][3] The brand of Crocodile Garments was introduced after Chan wanted his products to be as "tough and luxurious as crocodile skin".[2][4] The company was able to secure the trademark, initially registered in 1910[5] by Germans before it was confiscated by British authorities after World War II.[6][7]

Chan retired in 1970 and let his children run the company.[1] Crocodile Garments was first listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1971,[6] and in 1987, the business was sold to Lai Sun Garment, controlled by the late billionaire Lim Por Yen.[8][9]

Crocodile Garments originally sold dress shirts before expanding to become the largest chain garment store in Hong Kong. They exported to Japan, Singapore and other Asian Countries. A second line called Cal-Thomas was started in CA, USA.[citation needed] Crocodile emerged as the leading fashion label[citation needed] with the expansion of a woman's line and children's line called CrocoKids. At its peak, Crocodile garments was the largest garment chain before the conception of G2000, Giordano, U2 and Bossini in the 1990s.[citation needed] In 1980, Crocodile Garments partnered with French clothing company Lacoste to become the sole distributor of Lacoste products in Hong Kong.[10]

Legal dispute with Lacoste

Despite the Hong Kong distribution deal with Lacoste, Crocodile had a long-standing dispute over the logo and clothing lines with the French company. Crocodile uses a crocodile logo that faces left, while Lacoste uses one that faces right.[11]

Lacoste had registered their trademark in mainland China in 1980,[12] the same year both companies agreed to let Crocodile have exclusive rights to sell Lacoste goods in Hong Kong. When Crocodile attempted to apply for a trademark in mainland China however, Lacoste filed lawsuits in 1998 in both Hong Kong and Beijing, asking for a 3.5-million-yuan compensation.[10][12] Lacoste alleged that as part of their distribution agreement, Crocodile promised to not use any logo similar to Lacoste's outside of Hong Kong.[5][11]

Lacoste won their Hong Kong lawsuit in 1999.[11] The two fought an extended fight for the logo rights in China, but eventually reached a compromise in 2003. Crocodile agreed to change its logo to have a more vertical tail and more scales for its logo.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Jun 12; 1997 (1997-06-12). "A lifetime of giving". UBC News. Retrieved 2019-03-27. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b "香港記憶 | Hong Kong Memory". 香港記憶 | Hong Kong Memory. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  3. ^ "Company Overview of Crocodile Garments Limited". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  4. ^ "陳氏家族創辦港鱷魚恤_星島日報_加拿大溫哥華中文新聞網。 Canada Vancouver Chinese newspaper". news.singtao.ca (in Chinese). 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  5. ^ a b Duffy, Tara Sullen (1999-10-13). "Clothing companies battle over Crocodile trademark". The News & Record. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  6. ^ a b 香港“鳄鱼恤”：不做“影子” 终成大器_资讯_中国时尚品牌网. www.chinasspp.com (in Chinese). 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  7. ^ 品牌故事：威风凛凛“鳄鱼恤”_经营管理_财经纵横_新浪网. finance.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). 2005-02-25. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  8. ^ 13元錢起家的一代富豪:林百欣生前身後事 "The Lim Por-yen story" Archived 2013-01-19 at archive.today, www.cctv.com, 17 October 2005 (in Chinese)
  9. ^ Tsui, Enid (2019-01-24). "Vancouver gallery gifted record US$30 million by Hong Kong textile heirs". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  10. ^ a b Xiao, Huo (2003-11-11). "Deal takes bite out of croc fight". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  11. ^ a b c "Lacoste trademark victory". South China Morning Post. 1999-12-30. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  12. ^ a b "'Crocodile' trademark infringement case concluded". en.people.cn. 2003-10-24. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  13. ^ CNN.com Business - Crocodile tears end logo fight - Oct. 31, 2003

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crocodile_Garments&oldid=950663068"