The short answer
Class 25 includes clothing, footwear and headwear in particular. It is not a catch-all for everything a fashion label sells. A separately offered retail service may concern Class 35, while manufacturing for others is another distinction. The particular products and services determine what belongs in your application.
Classify the assortment rather than its style
A shared style does not turn different objects into the same type of goods. Identify whether your label offers T-shirts, shoes, headwear or other articles. Class 25 contains ordinary clothing, but does not automatically cover every accessory or every product printed with a fashion brand’s name.
Purpose can also create boundaries: protective helmets or specialist protective clothing are not simply ordinary garments, and orthopaedic shoes may be classified differently. These examples illustrate distinctions rather than provide a complete class recommendation. Describe unusual products more closely before copying wording from another business’s registered specification.
Separate the product, store and custom manufacturing
The name on a garment identifies a goods offering. If the same name also identifies a retail service for a defined assortment, an appropriate service description may be relevant. The Nice explanatory notes do not treat the mere sale of your own goods as an independent service in itself.
Manufacturing requires a similar distinction. Producing your own collections does not automatically mean supplying a manufacturing service to others. Custom manufacturing to third-party requirements may be a separate service. Establish whether customers buy finished branded products or commission you to manufacture their products according to their instructions.
Sources: WIPO: Nice Classification 2026, Class 35 · WIPO: Nice Classification 2026, Class 40
Capture the first collection and realistic expansion
Prepare an item list showing product type, function and intended use of the sign. Keep store presentation and external manufacturing orders separate. This makes it easier to identify which parts of the application describe goods and which reflect services actually offered independently to customers.
Consider realistic assortment expansion before filing. Moving into new product types does not automatically expand the registration. Even several class numbers do not protect every imaginable fashion article. Check the exact wording and similar trademarks in the relevant product areas before producing labels, packaging and store materials in substantial quantities.
What you can do now
- List articles by product type and function.
- Describe retail and third-party manufacturing separately.
- Check planned expansion before printing labels.
Frequently asked questions
Does a shop trademark automatically protect my T-shirts?
Registration for retail services does not necessarily replace protection for the goods themselves. Check whether the name identifies the product, the selling service or both.
Sources: WIPO: Nice Classification 2026, Class 25 · WIPO: Nice Classification 2026, Class 35
Does having my own sewing workshop require a manufacturing class?
Not automatically. Producing your own goods differs from providing a manufacturing service commissioned by others. The actual service supplied to customers determines the classification.