admin Fjällräven, Givenchy and Hermes have one thing in common – they are brand names that are neither easy to pronounce nor to write. The latter can be a hindrance when searching for a specific fashion brand online. The digital wholesale platform Joor wanted to find out more and investigated the 15 most frequently misspelled names of fashion brands with the help of online analysis tool Ahrefs.
The name of German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas tops the list, leaving consumers wondering just how many “d”s to type so that it often becomes “Addidas” or “Addias” on the Internet. After all, who knows that behind the famous brand name is founder Adolf “Adi” Dassler’s name? Anyone who makes this mistake is not alone – Adidas is misspelled more than half a million times a month online.
French names also pose difficulties, even a short and relatively simple name like that of luxury fashion house Chanel. Consumers add an extra “n” or “l” so that it becomes “Channel” or “Chanell” online, and that more than 400,000 times a month.
Austrian crystal producer Swarovski follows at some distance, although its name is potentially more difficult – ‘does the “w” come first or the “v”?’ seems to be the most common question. More than 80,000 people a month bypass this and opt for “Swaroski” or “Swarvoski”.
In fourth place is Louis Vuitton – this French luxury house is not only difficult to pronounce, but also difficult to spell. “Louis vitton” is written by those who get the first name right; “Luis Vuitton” by those who simplify the diphthong. In total, almost 79,000 people misspell the French founder’s name every month.
Italian luxury fashion house Versace fares not much better – almost 65,000 people misspell the surname of founder Gianni Versace, which became the brand name – online, it becomes “Versache” or “Versage”.
French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, who turned his somewhat unusual surname into the brand name, also shares this fate: the name is often spelled “Jaquemus” or “Jacquemis”.
Another surprise comes in seventh place in the form of Japanese sportswear company Asics whose is derived from the Latin maxim “Anima sana in corpore sano” – in a healthy body there is a healthy mind. The supposedly simple acronym often – and perhaps somewhat unfavourably – becomes “Ascis” or “Ascics”.
Designer Christian Dior could perhaps never have imagined the worldwide fame his luxury label of the same name would achieve far beyond the borders of France. Online, the first name causes problems and the brand quickly becomes “Cristian Dior” or “Christan Dior”.
Short, seemingly simple names can be deceptive, as Italian luxury label Moncler can attest to – it often becomes “Monclair”, “Monclear” or even “Monclare” and finds itself in ninth place.
Even Swiss luxury brand Tag Heuer’s name causes difficulties due to the umlaut – it becomes either “Tag huer” or “Tag heur” and ends up in 13th place. Few may know that the brand name is a combination of the acronym for “Techniques d’Avant Garde” and founder Edouard Heuer’s last name.
In tenth place is Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta, whose name simply means “Venetian shop”. Consumers are confused about the number of “t”s, “g”s and “n”s, thus making it “Botega”, “Botegga” or “Bottegga venetta”.
The eponymous label of US designer Tommy Hilfiger landed in eleventh place because it is often misheard (or remembered) as “Tommy Hilfinger” or “Tommy Hilfigure”; the number of “l”s is also unclear, thus resulting in creations such as “Tommy hillfiger”.
Another short French name causes difficulties in 12th place with Lacoste. The problem here is not the silent “e” at the end (which many may pronounce), but the vowel sequence, which then leads to “Locaste” or “La coste”, placing more emphasis on the cost of items.
The eponymous brand of the British designer Vivienne Westwood, who died almost a year ago, is often spelt “Vivian westwood” or “Vivien westwood”, which puts the brand in 14th place, with more than 16,000 people per month choosing this spelling.
Rounding off the top 15 is Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, which often becomes “Dolce gabana” online. As long as this is unintentional, everything is fine – however, in 2012, the fashion house served legal papers to a South African jewellery shop that called itself “Dolce & Banana”, demanding a name change.
