Posts Tagged ‘piracy’

More fake crocodiles

General | Posted by Terence
Oct 18 2010

Shanghai HengHeeAs the Clio Coddle empire expands throughout China I discover yet more crocodile rip-offs.

In addition to the Clio Coddles on Shanghai’s prestigious Nanjing Road (南京路), I came across HengHee (pictured) – two in fact, one not far from the famed Peace Hotel. In this small area, nearby is NuoManDiEYu and just opposite that: the real deal LaCoste.

Although HengHee is not an entire rip off, the attempt to re-use the crocodile is obvious considering the number of other reptile choices. What impresses me is they all clearly do well enough to afford the Nanjing Road rental costs. What I wonder is, how many people buying are actually from Shanghai vs. unsuspecting tourists from outside provinces.

If country bumpkins are cash cows, I feel like i’m missing out here!

Anyone want to invest in a Collo Collo? I’ll use an upside down crocodile as my logo.

Tuogu? Or Tough? More Chinese originality

General | Posted by Terence
Sep 15 2010

Spotted in a cheap Beijing shopping mall: Tuogo Jeans.

This casual, hip clothing brand looks to me like a blatant rip-off of Hong Kong brand Tough Jeans. Surely the logos are not a coincidence?

Another Clio Coddle?

China, Shopping, Travel | Posted by Terence
Apr 02 2010

I wrote in a previous post about Clio Coddle, a rip off of Crocodile which itself is probably a rip off of famous brand Lacoste.

NuoManDiEYu - shop in ChangshaIn a recent trip through Changsha in Hunan Province (湖南长沙) I stumbled across this shop, only some few hundred metres away from the Clio Coddle itself. I didn’t see a Crocodile or Lacoste in the vicinity however. I suppose by now i’m hardly surprised, though it does amaze me how shoppers can fall for such blatant rip offs unless, that is, they don’t care about branding at all – in which case what’s the point to copy? I do wonder.

The english (NuoManDiEYu) is basically Chinese pinyin for “The Romantic Crocodile” (诺曼的鳄鱼). Notice the logo is also a crocodile, pointing in the same direction as that of Clio Coddle’s.

KobboNot far from NuoManDiEYu I noticed Kobbo. Looks disturbingly similar to Italian clothing company Kappa, which had an official store only some 50 metres away. Kappa, who also own the Robe di Kappa brand, were a little known brand in China until brought into China in 2006 by the China Dongxiang Group. Now listed on the stock exchange, owner Chen Yihong is now amongst the 50 richest men in China.

I don’t suppose Kobbo would ever get that far.

Clio Coddle

Beijing, China | Posted by Terence
Sep 22 2009

ClioTianjin: Clio Coddle, a fashion brand i’ve never heard of but with a logo disturbingly similar to that of Singaporean chain Crocodile, which in turn itself has had a long dispute over logo infringements with well known manufacturer LaCoste. Apparently it’s not new – I just did a search online and found other references to it. Evidently they’re still alive. Just goes to show: there’s no shame at all with piracy in China, and it’s so easy to succeed.