Cheltenham-based fashion retailer Superdry is suing an online retailer, claiming it has ripped off its designs.

A writ has been filed with the High Court alleging trademark infringements on clothing offered by the online retailer Asos on its website and bearing the distinctive Osaka branding.

Superdry wrote in July to the retailer whose acronym is from 'As Seen On Screen' and has built its business on providing 'lookalike' fashion items asking for the removal of the items. The five items in question included products sold under the Asos, Topman and New Look names.

The legal documents claim the firm 'acted flagrantly in listing further products' and claims: "It is clear that the product is designed to reproduce the look of the goods of the claimant such as to mislead the average consumer into believing that the product emanates from the claimant."

Superdry, which was founded in 2004, has 768 retail and franchise stores in 65, with over 245 owned stores in the UK and Europe. It has adopted the use of Japanese culture and styling in its products.

The Osaka brand is one of its most successful. Since 2015, 291,000 items have been sold in the UK, worth £5.7 million. It has been popularised by several celebrities.

Julian Dunkerton, Superdry founder, said: "We are really proud of the unique design and high quality of Superdry products, which also have some of the best sustainability credentials in the industry.

"To safeguard consumers and protect our brand, we will always take robust action against those who produce copycat and counterfeit goods, which is particularly important as our plan to reset and re-energise the brand gathers pace. The Osaka brand is an important part of Superdry's heritage."

Punchline Gloucester approached Asos for a comment.