Isis is a clothing brand that was flourishing in the early 2000s but has since been on a steady decline. Isis clothing out of business. It’s not because of poor quality or insufficient marketing, it’s simply because of their name. The company was founded in 2000 and at first had no problem with the use of their name. But in the years following 9/11, the company started to have issues with customers who were afraid to make purchases from Isis due to increased Islamophobia in North America.
After 9/11 and subsequent events, people became increasingly homophobic, xenophobic and Islamophobic – including many Americans who previously supported Isis as customers. Sales plummeted by over 40% after 2001 even though there was no change to what Isis sold.
8 reasons that ISIS clothing brand did not work out are:
1. Their name caused “bad-will”.
Because of the bad reputation that ISIS has, many people will not buy from them on account of the name. People who hated ISIS, regardless of how much they had loved their work before 9/11 (or whatever), will not buy it because of what the name represents. They were a fashion company who made skinny jeans and T-shirts. But they were called Isis, which conjured up memories of terrorism and the events of 9/11.
2. The name made North Americans uncomfortable.
They tried to change their name but found it was impossible since they were already well-known by that name. For example they did not want to be seen wearing an Isis brand on the streets because they would be afraid someone might think they supported terrorism or Islam due to the negative connotations their name carried.
3. They had no other way to legally change their name.
They had no alternative but to keep using the name Isis because there was no way to legally change it. Names are part of one’s identity, changing your name is a huge deal as it is. Change it to something bad, and it’s even worse.
4. The company was eventually forced to change their name.
Due to the trademark issues, Isis was forced to change their name. The company spent 3 million dollars on a rebranding campaign so they could just change their name. Unfortunately, the company went on to change their name to simply “Isis”. The company’s website stated that they would have to change their name or face legal issues in the United States over trademark issues.
5. Their name became synonymous with terrorism and Islamophobia.
Many people still associate Isis with terrorist attacks and Islamophobia. The name Isis in Muslim cultures means “Divine Flame”. So it is not surprising that many Muslims no longer wanted to wear an Isis brand because they associated it with terrorism, which is why they felt uncomfortable. People who don’t follow current events now think Isis is an acronym for perpetrators of the Paris terrorist attack or the extremist group responsible for those attacks (ISIS terror group). Not the brand of skinny jeans you wear.
6. The company had lost its reputation as a fashion brand before that attack even occurred.
When 9/11 happened, their target and customers was a new audience. If there was a brand which had the reputation of being fashionable and well known in the United States, it could be assumed that Isis wouldn’t stand out from the crowd. The internet is a very powerful tool of communication, where information travels faster than you could believe possible. Before they could change their name, people knew who they were and had already started to associate them with terrorism.
7. They couldn’t keep up with the competition.
Fashion is a very competitive market and it’s tough to stay relevant. Isis had started to lose their reputation as a fashion brand before they were even forced to change their name. On a much more positive note, Isis had a lot of problems before that issue as well. They could not keep up with the latest fashion trends or produce enough products for their customers, who wanted more and were frustrated that other companies were making newer, trendier products that Isis couldn’t produce fast enough for them to purchase.
8. Their competition began copying their trademarked name.
After Isis had to change their name, many companies took advantage of their trademarked name to promote themselves. The list includes over 100 companies, worldwide. Some of them include:
The car manufacturer – Opel Isuzu & Chevrolet Cars.
The Indian tech company – ISIS Info solutions India(P) Ltd.
A Brazilian fitness center – Instituto de Ação Social Isis.
A company that produces storage sheds – ISIS storage and sheds.
A mattress factory in the United States – ISIS Manufacturing LLC (Indiana Sleep Systems).
A mattress producer in Canada – ISiS Sleep Solutions Corp.
Conclusion:
The name problem became so bad that the company had no choice but to shut down the production of their brand. However, this does not mean those companies will suffer from similar name issues because of their type of business.
