SINGAPORE: Home-grown handbag brand Aupen has wiped its website and social media amid a trademark dispute with American retail giant Target.
Employees of the label, founded in 2022 and known for its sloping leather bags popular with international celebrities, have been told they will be let go, said an Aupen spokesperson.
In December 2024, the Paris-based business consisted of “more than 10” workers in Singapore, Singaporean founder Nicholas Tan told The Straits Times then.
Target is fighting Aupen’s attempt to register its trademark internationally, including in the United States, citing potential confusion with its underwear and sleepwear line, Auden.
The budget chain, which sells everything from electronics to apparel across 1,989 stores in the US, relaunched its Auden range in July 2024.
According to a lawyer’s letter from Target that Aupen posted on Aug 25 – one of its two remaining Instagram posts – Target has requested Aupen detail why it believes confusion is not likely.
The corporation said the Auden and Aupen names sound and look “nearly identical”, adding that it has used the Auden trademark “extensively” since March 2019.
According to a letter to Aupen dated July 22, Target has until Sept 24 to oppose Aupen’s application to the American trademark office.
Said the Aupen spokesperson: “Target has recently registered the same trademarks in Singapore and the Singapore trademark office has advised Aupen to back down because they will prioritise foreign investment.”
The label declined to comment on its next steps, but Tan, who is in his mid 30s, hit back in an Instagram Story on Sept 8: “A $100 billion giant is crushing an independent brand.
“The result can be years of court battles that block us from releasing new products – while a giant can replicate designs at a fraction of the price.
“This will erase us. And when we are gone, people may think that Auden is Aupen.”
He added: “Because of this pressure, I’ve had to give my team their last-day notice. My duty now is to honour salaries and suppliers, even as our name is erased.”
Aupen posted a picture of founder Nicholas Tan, in his mid-30s., with a red-painted target on his forehead, on Sept 8.
All products have been removed from the Aupen website. The homepage now shows a single photo of a tote bag, the colour of a brown manila envelope, printed with words common to court documents.
Aupen has no physical store and its bags, typically priced below $600, are only sold online.
Tan’s asymmetrical leather designs gained international attention in 2023 after American pop star Taylor Swift was spotted with an Aupen bag while on a date with her now-fiancee Travis Kelce.
In 2024, Aupen partnered with LVMH Metiers d’Art, a subsidairy of French conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
In a press statement on Sept 9, Aupen highlighted “fresh backing” from its famous fans in its tug-of-war with Target, which posted US$107.4 billion (S$137.7 billion) in annual revenue in 2024, according to statements from the company’s March 2025 earnings report.
Hollywood actresses Jennifer Aniston and Emily Blunt were spotted in public on Sept 8 toting the Nova and Himalayan Nirvana models respectively.
Aupen’s only other Instagram post, on Sept 8, shows American pop star Madonna carrying the Nirvana Deluxe, with the caption thanking her for her support.
The endorsements are “a timely show of solidarity as the brand navigates a trademark lawsuit from US retail giant Target,” it said.
ST has contacted Intellectual Property lawyers for comment. - The Straits Times/ANN
