Oxfam name is now Original

Oxfam has been forced to scrap its retail brand Origin, launched early last year, after discovering the name was already in use by Estée Lauder.

Oxfam has been forced to scrap its retail brand Origin, launched early last year, after discovering the name was already in use by Estée Lauder.

Oxfam, which announced last May that it planned to rebrand all 830 of its UK retail outlets as part of a major image revamp, admitted the U-turn had occurred because the company was not rigorous enough on its name-checks. A spokesman for the company says, “We did do name-checks but we just weren’t careful enough.

Oxfam has had “amicable discussions” with the cosmetics manufacturer, which has offered to make a “substantial contribution” towards the cost of rebranding.

The estimated total cost of making the changes to the Origin-branded outlets will be around 20 000, says the spokesman. He says all the Origin outlets will be rebranded as Oxfam Original by Saturday.

The spokesman says only four outlets will be launched initially, two each in London and Manchester, although in-store concessions are also planned. “We think there’s a huge market for original clothing,” he says. “The idea is to encourage people to set aside clothes for people wanting to dress from a specific decade.”

The spokesman adds that Oxfam Original would not be a complete rebranding. “The brand concept is exactly the same, we’ve just changed the name,” he says.

Interbrand Newell and Sorrell is currently working on a review of Oxfam’s brand architecture.

Start the discussionStart the discussion
  • Post a comment

Latest articles