Vetements spent six years fighting to trademark its own name — and lost

Vetements filed two US trademark applications in June 2020 for VETEMENTS, covering apparel and online retail store services. The USPTO rejected both in December 2021 under the doctrine of foreign equivalents: 'vetements' is simply the French word for 'clothing', so registering it would let one company own a generic term for the very goods it sells.

Vetements argued the word was obscure enough to Americans — fewer than 1% of the US speaks French — and pointed to its 4.1 million Instagram followers as evidence the name had become distinctive. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board rejected that in April 2023, and the Federal Circuit affirmed in May 2025, writing that 'words from modern languages are generally translated into English.'

Vetements took the case to the Supreme Court. The US Solicitor General filed a brief in November 2025 urging the justices to deny review, arguing a trademark on 'clothing' would defeat the basic purpose of trademark law. On January 12, 2026, the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal, ending the case for good.