Aussie mom who named Kenz Beauty after autistic daughter sued by Kenzo over namesake
Australian mom who named her thriving skincare business after her autistic daughter Kenzie is being sued by the world’s richest man who claims the title is too similar to his own fashion brand
- Aussie skincare company in legal battle against the world’s richest man
- Kenz from Gold Coast was told to change the name by Kenzo, audited by LVMH
- LVMH was founded by Bernard Arnault, a $300 billion man
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A young mother caring for her autistic daughter finds herself involved in a legal battle between David and Goliath against the richest man in the world and his colossal conglomerate.
Rim Daghmash named her skincare company Kenz Beauty after her adorable four-year-old Kenzie, who was diagnosed at age two.
The toddler’s condition forced her devoted mother to stay home and care for her, so she came up with the idea for a business she could run from her Gold Coast lounge room.
Almost immediately, Kenz Beauty became a huge success selling everything from homemade cleansers to shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers and serums online.
But the dream company hit a major hurdle in September when it received legal paperwork from Kenzo – one of 75 luxury brands that make up the conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) – demanding a name change because of the “deceptive” resemblance.
LVMH founder Bernard Arnault is currently the world’s richest man with a net worth of approximately $300 billion.
Skincare brand Kenz Beauty, named after founder Rim Daghmash’s four-year-old autistic daughter, Kenzie (both pictured), has been told by LVMH brand, Kenzo, to change their name
“I think it’s bullying, I think it’s just the big company bullying a small company. We are not a threat to them, we are just a small startup, a family business,” Ms. Daghmash told A Current Affair.
“A five-year-old will be able to tell the difference between Kenzo and Kenz Beauty. They are two completely different names. Our brand, our logos, our products are different.’
While Ms Daghmash admits there is little chance of overcoming the fashion giant who has endless resources to commit her to court, she said it’s not as simple as just changing the name of her company.
The company is named after her daughter to help change the stigma of autism, with a portion of every sale donated to autism research.
“It’s not about the financial gain, we want to tell the world that Kenzie is beautiful, and autistic children are beautiful. That’s why we started this,” Ms. Daghmash said.
“I am very upset because I put my heart and soul into this business. I just want them to leave me alone.”
But at this stage all mediation offers by LVMH lawyers have been ignored.
The founder of the 75 strong luxury brand conglomerate LVMH, Bernard Arnault (pictured), was recently announced as the world’s richest man with $300 billion
Kenzo has demanded the skincare brand change their ‘misleading’ brand, though Ms Daghmash claims a ‘five-year-old’ can tell the difference between the logos and products
Patent attorney Sharon Givoni said that while Ms. Daghmash has a reasonable chance of winning, the case is unlikely to go that far in court.
“In my experience, companies like Louis Vuitton have almost endless resources when it comes to this sort of thing,” Givoni said.
“They can basically keep coming back until the small business is simply not hungry and out of money.”
Kenzo said in a statement that the company is simply acting to protect its brand and products to avoid any risk of confusion or infringement.
“Discussions have been initiated with the founder of ‘Kenz Beauty’, without ever questioning the existence, values and operation of this brand, but simply to avoid any risk of public confusion,” the statement said.
“Discussions are ongoing and we are ready to reach an amicable settlement that will safeguard our mutual interests, just as we wish Ms. Daghmash every success and the action she takes through her company.”