Four stripes, one lawsuit: Adidas takes aim at White Fox marketing

Sportswear giant Adidas has taken legal action against Australian fashion retailer White Fox Boutique, alleging its four-stripe clothing designs and the marketing used to promote them infringe its famous three-stripe trademark.

The German company says it asked White Fox in March to remove the garments from sale and stop using the designs in its marketing. White Fox declined, according to Adidas, and continued promoting the clothing.

Adding to the dispute, some promotional material features models wearing White Fox's four-stripe garments alongside genuine Adidas sneakers, creating what Adidas argues is a misleading association between the brands.

The case is now before the Federal Court, with a showdown expected in early 2027.

While trademark infringement is at the heart of the dispute, it raises an interesting question for marketers: where does creative inspiration end and trading on another brand's reputation begin?

According to Federal Court proceedings filed on 18 September, Adidas alleges White Fox's four-stripe designs are deceptively similar to the three-stripe trademark it has spent more than 70 years building into one of the most recognisable symbols in sport and fashion.

And its complaint goes beyond the clothing itself. Adidas has also taken issue with White Fox's social media content and outdoor advertising featuring the disputed designs, particularly imagery pairing the garments with Adidas footwear.

White Fox disputes the allegations. At a Federal Court hearing in Sydney on 9 October, its barrister Ed Heerey KC argued the stripes were decorative rather than a trademark, pointing to similar designs sold by retailers including Princess Polly, Glassons and Shein.

It's a familiar battleground for Adidas, which successfully challenged certain four-stripe footwear designs sold by Pacific Brands in Australia in 2013 but lost a high-profile US trademark case against designer Thom Browne.

The outcomes show that adding another stripe doesn't automatically put a design beyond legal challenge.

For White Fox, a fashion business built largely through social media, influencers and carefully styled imagery, the marketing surrounding its products is an important part of the equation.

And that's what makes this dispute particularly interesting. Adidas isn't simply challenging the design of a tracksuit. It's questioning whether the way White Fox presents and promotes that design trades on the recognition and reputation of another brand.

For marketers, it's a reminder that a brand's visual identity extends well beyond its logo. The way products are styled, photographed and promoted can become part of a trademark dispute.

Adidas has spent decades making three stripes instantly recognisable. Whether four is one too many is now a question for the courts.