A south London streetwear brand has been threatened with legal action by a US clothes brand for having the name “Brixton”.
Brothers Daniel O’Connell, 46, and Pete Adams, 45, who run Brixton Street Wear, said they have received legal letters over the past four years from a Californian company called Brixton LLC demanding they cease using the name of the south London area.
The two London cab drivers first starting selling t-shirts to help raise funds for the Brixton community during lockdown and still regularly donate thousands of pounds to projects such as Brixton Street Gym and Brixton Soup Kitchen.
The pair say they have been threatened with court action and say the US brand “want us to pay them for all money that we have raised from using the word ‘Brixton’.”
They first received a message from the American clothing company in 2020 and explained “it went from zero to 100” when they tried to register a trademark in 2023.
Mr Adams told the Standard: “We are not businessmen, we are just cab drivers who love London. My brother has never left Brixton. We are born and bred. On our birth certificates it says SW19. We are third generation Brixton.”
“There are 600 businesses that use the word Brixton,” he continued. “We can not fight it. If they come in and crush us that’s it. We can not just change [our name] to Peckham and be in Brixton market. It’s nonsense.
“I don’t think they realise how cherished Brixton is in London.”
The brothers both still work as taxi drivers when they are not working at the Brixton store, which hosts open mic nights and comedy nights, and describe the shop as “more enjoyment than graft”.
The pair have set up a GoFundMe page to raise £20,000 to cover the costs of defending their brand in court.
They have warned that there could be a “dangerous precedent” if a company was forced to close over the use of the word Brixton.
Mr Adams said the shop was a "community hub” because all profits are reinvested into local charities and clubs in the south London area.
He added: "It's really frustrating. How can you own a geographical place?"
Mr O'Connell told the BBC: "Financially we get nothing from this. We just do this to help out and give back something to the community. This could seriously shut us down and stop us supporting the community".
He added: "This is a total headache and we both have young families.
"The letters we have received from the lawyers are so cold-hearted, why can't they just have a conversation with us?"
Brixton LLC has been approached for comment.
