Zara threatens legal action over Darlington boutique brand

An independent fashion boutique is due to face high street clothing company Zara at a tribunal over claims it is an "identical brand".

Darlington-based House of Zana has been threatened with legal action by the Spanish fashion giant which claims the brand is "conceptually identical".

Lawyers want Amber Kotrri, who opened her store in 2019 after trading online, to change its name and branding.

Mrs Kotrri said doing that would be "the last thing we want to do".

She received a notice of opposition from Zara when she tried to trademark the name House of Zana, followed by a letter from the multi-national company's lawyers that argued the County Durham business was "confusingly similar" for customers.

The letter went on to say the name House of Zana "dilutes the distinctiveness and reputation of the Zara brand".

Mrs Kotrri was asked to rename her business and remove all existing branding, but she refused.

She said there was "no risk of confusing us with Zara" and the change would "cause irreparable damage" to her business.

Mrs Kotrri started the business while living with her husband in Albania.

She said: "Our name is very meaningful and personal to us and poses no commercial threat to Zara, and their massive market.

"We don't believe anyone has or will confuse House of Zana with Zara. We're a small business that specialises in handmade kimonos. We have one small concept store in the North East of England and a website to help promote our products."

The final hearing to decide whether she can keep the name House of Zana is due to take place next month.

Zara's owner Inditex said it had opposed Mrs Kotrri's trademark application "because of its similarity to Zara's brand name".

A spokesperson said: "We wish the business every success and we continue to make efforts to reach the business directly so we can resolve the situation amicably."

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