The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024
A livestream sold 'FENDI CASA' mooncakes — the brand had nothing to do with FENDI
交个朋友 sold a ¥388 mooncake box under a lookalike FENDI CASA brand. The supplier's authorisation papers proved nothing. The stream paid triple refunds.
交个朋友 (Make Friends) · FENDI CASA LIMITED · 2024-08
What happened
In August 2024 the Douyin livestream room 交个朋友 (Make Friends), founded by Luo Yonghao, began selling a '芬迪卡萨 FENDI CASA 月饼伴手礼' — a ¥388 gift box of eight mooncakes and a scented candle in yellow packaging that closely echoed the luxury house FENDI's visual identity.
After consumer complaints, an internal review found that the brand owner — FENDI CASA LIMITED, a privately registered company in the UK — could not demonstrate any actual connection to the luxury brand FENDI or its FENDI CASA home-furnishing line. The supplier's authorisation letters and qualification documents proved nothing.
On 11 September 2024, 交个朋友 published an apology, stopped all sales, and announced '退一赔三' — a full refund plus triple compensation, paid from the stream's own funds within ten working days. Luo Yonghao called the error 'pretty basic' and blamed complacency in the quality-control team. The stream also sent a lawyer's letter to the brand owner.
Why it happened
- The quality-control team checked that paperwork existed but not that it meant anything — a registered trademark in one product class does not authorise use of a luxury house's name in another.
- The yellow packaging and prominent FENDI lettering were designed to evoke the luxury brand; the stream's review process treated the visual resemblance as a branding choice rather than a red flag.
- After a long stretch without a serious incident, the supervision process had drifted — Luo Yonghao's own word was 'complacency.'
The lesson
A supplier's authorisation letter is only as good as the check behind it. If the packaging is designed to borrow a famous name, the paperwork must prove the borrowing is licensed.
Sources
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