Attention fans of high waisted shorts: Taylor Swift is
launching her own line of clothing. Unfortunately for U.S. consumers, Swift’s line of branded ”dresses, sweatshirts, and tops” will only be available to Chinese buyers via online retailer JD.com’s new ”U.S. Mall” platform. There, just like in a real American mall, Chinese consumers will be able to purchase ”authentic American” products like Converse tennis shoes and branded Jeep apparel, only a very small portion of which is actually probably made in America. According to CNN, the site will also sell Samsonite luggage and Ocean Spray cranberry juice.
Part of Swift’s effort comes with the singer’s current campaign to fight copyright infringement on her brand. China currently has a thriving market of bootleg Swift products, including fake perfume and bogus autographed guitars; currently, there are nine Chinese trademarks registered to ”Taylor Swift,” only six of which are held by Swift herself. The other three produce items like purses, baby onesies, bathing suits, and hats. And, as The Wall Street Journal points out, Swift may never be able to win these trademarks back. As a lawyer told the paper, ”trademark disputes are difficult to win in China, because the law is based on who files first, regardless of celebrity. If Ms. Swift were to launch a branded bathing suit, [the lawyer] said, she would be infringing on someone else’s trademark under Chinese law.”
Swift’s clothing line is expected launch this August, ahead of her November tour stop in Shanghai. The t-shirts are expected to retail for around $60, while the sweatshirts and dresses should run anywhere from $100 to $120.
