Joe Lycett posted a letter on Twitter with the UK Deed Poll Office’s letterhead, which commits him to “absolutely and entirely renounce, relinquish and abandon the use of my said former name”.
The 31-year-old said he will be launching a “brand new product as Hugo Boss”, with all details to be revealed on a new series of his consumer show Got Your Back on Channel 4.
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So @hugo_official (who turnover approx $2.7 billion a year) have sent cease & desist letters to a number of small businesses & charities who use the word ‘BOSS’ or similar, including a small brewery in Swansea costing them thousands in legal fees and rebranding. It’s clear they HATE people using their name. Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future posts from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy.
He tweeted: “So, Hugo Boss [who turnover approx $2.7 billion a year] have sent cease and desist letters to a number of small businesses and charities who use the word ‘BOSS’ or similar.”
Lycett, who has appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Live At The Apollo, said a small brewery in Swansea has had to spend thousands of pounds on legal fees and rebranding.
Boss Brewing, according to WalesOnline, was left with £10,000 in legal fees last year after the fashion brand sent it a cease and desist letter when the brewer tried to register its brand.
So @HUGOBOSS (who turnover approx $2.7 billion a year) have sent cease & desist letters to a number of small businesses & charities who use the word ‘BOSS’ or similar, including a small brewery in Swansea costing them thousands in legal fees and rebranding. (1/2)
— Hugo Boss (@joelycett) March 1, 2020
In 2018 a charity called DarkGirlBoss received a legal letter from Hugo Boss when it tried to trademark its name, according to the i paper.
Hugo Boss, often known as Boss, was founded in 1924 and employs more than 14,000 people in 127 countries, with sales of more than £2.3bn in 2018 from its 439 stores.
The company famously produced the SS uniforms for the Nazis during the Second World War using forced labourers, with its eponymous founder being a long-time Nazi Party member and supporter of Adolf Hitler.
In 2011, Boss issued a statement apologising for the “harm or hardship” at the factory run by them at the time.
Lycett, whose new name was trending on Twitter on Sunday, also tweeted: “Hugo Boss did not historically manufacture uniforms for the Nazis.
“Sorry, THIS Hugo Boss did not historically manufacture uniforms for the Nazis.”
