Is Balenciaga not afraid of upsetting Adidas, too?

We first saw them in the Balenciaga store last weekend. There they were in the window, and calling out to us: The parallel stripes so obvious and so reminiscent of the many times Adidas was unhappy seeing any number of stripes on the garments they did not produce. Balenciaga’s parallel lines that run down the out seam of their newest 100 percent polyester, ‘cut-up’ tracksuit pants (a sort of tromp-l’œil of a two-pairs-as-one) is clearly evocative of those by Adidas. Ironically, Balenciaga had collaborated with Adidas in 2022, and had featured the German brand’s stripes in that capsule. They could have revisited that exercise. Rather, they have gone ahead with their own stripes, but instead of three, they put out five. It is not clear why stripes running down track pants are so beloved by designers, even when they may upset that sports brand.

Balenciaga chose their brand ambassador Michelle Yeoh again to model the potentially problematic trousers. In the image, which appeared this week, she has dropped the laughable auntie hair of an earlier campaign. Now it’s a wavy, jaw-length bob that is counterpoint to the supposed sportiness of the outfit. The beige City bag on her lap further diminishes any temptation one might have to link her pants with something only achievable in a gym. The side stripes, rather wide placed aide by aide, do not appear to enhance performance function. Balenciaga could be emboldened to serve up theirs because Adidas was not successful in suing Thom Browne in 2021 for the use of similar lines, one less than Balenciaga.

In January last year, Adidas claimed in court that Mr Browne’s four-stripe designs were “confusingly similar” to its own trademarked Three Stripes. Mr Browne argued that he uses a different number of stripes, and stripes, being so generic, are a common design element. The jury ultimately ruled in Mr Browne’s favour. Adidas appealed the decision, but in May, the US Court of Appeals upheld the original verdict, denying Adidas’s request for a new trial. This win for Thom Browne is significant because it meant he is able to continue to use the stripes without repercussions in the US. But trademark laws vary by country. It isn’t known if Adidas will sue Thom Browne in Europe or Asia where the latter is sold. Perhaps not, now that Balenciaga has their five stripes. Power by numbers?

Balenciaga cut-up tracksuit pants, S$3,290, is now available at Balenciaga stores. Photo: Balenciaga