Adidas Takes Australian Fashion Label White Fox to Court Over Four-Stripe Clothing

Adidas is suing Australian online retailer White Fox in the Federal Court, claiming the company's clothing with four parallel stripes is deceptively similar to the German brand's three-stripe trademark. White Fox denies any breach and says the stripes are decorative, the BBC and The Guardian reported after a first hearing on Friday.

The case could determine whether a popular fast-fashion label, which sells in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K., can keep selling the striped designs. Adidas wants orders to stop the sales and a payment of the profits made from the products.

What Adidas says

According to the BBC, Adidas says it asked White Fox repeatedly to stop selling and promoting the clothes since March, but the company refused. Adidas's barrister, Patrick Flynn, told the court White Fox had the "intention to trade off our reputation," The Guardian reported.

Adidas says its three-stripe design has held a trademark in Australia since 1957 and carries a substantial and valuable reputation. Its claim says White Fox sells clothes with four parallel stripes of equal width, including sweatpants and lounge shorts.

The company also argues that White Fox's advertising shows people wearing genuine Adidas items alongside the four-stripe clothes, which it says could lead Australians to think the brands are connected. The BBC reported that Adidas pointed to a June 2025 online listing showing White Fox socks modeled by someone in pink Adidas shoes. According to the court documents, the stripes on the shoes were digitally altered days after the case was lodged last month, and later all three were removed from the image.

Flynn noted that Adidas won a 2013 case against Pacific Brands over four-stripe shoes, and called the new matter "not uncharted territory," according to The Guardian.

What White Fox says

White Fox has not yet filed a formal defense, the BBC reported. Its lawyers denied any trademark breach and said the company intends to argue the stripes are decorative rather than a trademark.

The BBC said the firm plans to point to other Australian brands, including Cotton On, Sportscraft and Glassons, that sell clothes with similar stripes. The Guardian named Princess Polly, Glassons and Shein as examples cited by the company's barrister, Ed Heerey. The sources differ on the exact list of brands.

Heerey said Adidas clearly has a reputation, but that its own slogan stresses three stripes. He also noted that the 2013 judgment found it was common to place branding on the side of shoes, while no such practice exists for clothing, The Guardian reported. The company will challenge whether the four stripes are deceptively similar and whether any consumers would actually be misled.

Why it matters for shoppers and the industry

For shoppers, the outcome could affect whether striped clothing from White Fox stays on sale. The label is popular with teenagers and young adults and has built its profile through billboards, bus advertising and influencers, according to the BBC.

The case also tests how far a famous trademark reaches in fast fashion. The Guardian said it could prove a battleground for Adidas in a world of prolific imitation, and noted the company recently lost trademark cases against luxury brand Thom Browne in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.

The companies at stake

Adidas reported revenue of €24.8 billion ($28 billion) in 2025, according to the BBC. The Guardian put the figure at a record $39.9bn; the outlets use different currencies and the sources do not reconcile them.

White Fox was founded in Sydney in 2013 by Georgia and Daniel Contos. It is privately owned by the couple and Daniel's mother, Melina Maceri. It expanded into the U.K. in 2024 and is growing in the U.S. Revenue in the 12 months to June 2025 was AU$542m, up from $121m in 2022, according to the Australian Financial Review as cited by the BBC.

What happens next

Justice Ian Jackman set the dispute for trial. The BBC said a three- to four-day trial is expected early next year; The Guardian said the hearing is set for early 2027. White Fox is still to lodge its formal defense.

Sources: BBC News, The Guardian