A Name Change at Teenflo

Last October I called Teenflo, the chic, 35-year-old Canadian fashion label, "one of the worst brand names I've seen." To quote myself: "The name suggests teenagers (who go with the flow?), but one look at the clothes tells you the label is targeted at sophisticated adult women with money to spend."

Apparently someone at Teenflo concurred, because the name is about to change to "Judith & Charles."

A recent post by Abusing the Comma (in real life the lifestyle editor at Yahoo! Canada) shared the news:

The Teenflo name came from the names of the original founders Martin and Florence when the line launched in Paris in 1975. However, deciding enough was enough (and probably tired of explaining the name's origin to the media), Teenflo's Judith Richardson and Charles Le Pierrès have launched a re-branding initiative moving from Teenflo to the eponymous Judith & Charles, gradually removing all mention of "Teenflo" from the line.

"We're transitioning in the new name," said Judy Richardson at the store opening in Bayview Village. "You will still see the Teenflo name on some items but eventually it will all be Judith & Charles."

The new name is less misleading, but I wouldn't call it distinctive. In fact, shopping malls are overrun with "X & Y" (or "X + Y" or "X and Y") labels right now. ("X & Y" is also a major trend in restaurant naming, but that's a topic for a different day.)

Here's a list—far from comprehensive, I'm sure—of fashion brands that follow the formula.

Alice + Olivia
Elizabeth and James¹
Graham & Spencer
Holmes & Yang²
Ingrid & Isabel ("The most versatile maternity accessory you'll ever need")
Lutz & Patmos³
Mac and Jac
Mars and Valentine
Martin + Osa⁴
Max and Cleo
Me & Ro
Mike & Chris
Nic + Zoe
Nick & Mo
Rag & Bone
Robbi & Nikki
Rock & Republic
Soia & Kyo
Truth & Pride
Whistle & Flute

Of course, there's a long tradition of partnership names in fashion and retail: Sears & Roebuck, Abercrombie & Fitch (founded in 1892 as a purveyor of sporting goods), Baume et Mercier. But the current trend goes beyond actual partnerships. Often, the linked names or words communicate a story, real or fictional (in the case of Martin + Osa, a historical one; in the case of Elizabeth and James, a vague narrative about "a young girl and a boy"); borrow bits of obscure slang (a "rag-and-bone man" is a junkman; "whistle and flute" is Cockney rhyming slang for "suit"); or simply juxtapose words for the hell of it. (I've never figured out "Rock & Republic.")

To be sure, it's easier to secure a double-barreled Internet domain name than a single-word name. But remember: a domain name is just an address. To succeed, a brand needs to stand apart from its competition. And in a world of "X & Y" brands, "Judith & Charles" becomes just two more names customers will struggle to remember.
__

1 The line was started in 2007 by the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, who named it after two of their siblings (who aren't connected to the business).

² "Holmes" is Katie Holmes, a k a Mrs. Tom Cruise.

³ The designers' surnames.

⁴ The parent company of Martin + Osa, American Eagle, recently announced that it will close all 28 retail stores and the online business by mid-year.

Comments

[Trochee]

Teenflo isn't just "teens who go with the flo" -- it sounds like a program for "starter" menstrual napkins.

You know, like 'iPad'.

[4ndyman]

This brings up the question: Is there an actual store called X + Y or X & Y? If not, someone ought to snap up X + Y (think chromosomally) as a geek-oriented men's clothing store name.

Comic book T-shirts, Order of the Stick mugs, and Star Trek underwear as far as the eye can see.

[Barry]

Thank god you explained. I thought it was a beginner's maxipad.

[panavia999]

I never heard of Teenflo until I read your post. My first thought was "tampons for teens".

[Nancy Friedman]

Trochee, Barry, and Panavia: My original post (October 2009) raised the same objection. I guess the link wasn't obvious enough; here it is again: http://bit.ly/3e8VuF

4ndyman: I'm not aware of a store called "X + Y" (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist). However, I've written about YOOX, the Bologna-based e-tailer whose name has the same rationale. According to YOOX, "The name itself reveals the personality of YOOX.COM: Y and X, the male and female chromosomes, flank the ‘zero’ from the binary code, the fundamental language of the digital age." Link to my April 2008 post about YOOX and other bad fashion-brand names: http://bit.ly/a3HIPN

[Michele Hush]

One of my favorite X+Y brands, Chloe & Patek, seems to have gone under. They made excellent handbags.

[mike]

...
Crate & Barrel
Linens and Things
Barnes & Noble
...

The binomial name seems popular everywhere, as you note about Sears et al. (per the infallible Wikipedia, originally Sears, Roebuck, & Co. -- ?) How many restaurant names do you suppose follow this pattern?

Are there trinomials as well? Bed, Bath & Beyond is the only one that comes immediately to mind. If you use actual names, you'd probably sound like law-firm-ish, tho.

[Nancy Friedman]

Mike: Look for an X & Y restaurant post very soon! As for trinomials, I'm stuck on BB&B, too. My favorite variation, via "The Simpsons": a gun store called "Bloodbath and Beyond."

[Jessica]

The sheer number of names on the list of binomials is evidence of their lack of distinctiveness. They just bore me.