Why does a fashion label's umbrella line and its handbag line file under the same trademark class? A historical accident: 19th-century leather-goods makers also sold umbrellas, parasols, and walking sticks out of the same shops, and the Nice Classification never separated them. Nice Class 18 has carried that quirk ever since, alongside its actual center of gravity — leather and imitation leather, and the handbags, wallets, backpacks, briefcases, and luggage made from it.
The Single Most Common Filing Gap in Fashion
Almost every fashion and accessories brand needs both Class 18 and Class 25, and the single most common mistake founders make is registering only one. Clothing and footwear are Class 25 — even when made of leather, a leather jacket is Class 25, not Class 18, because the class follows the product type, not the material. A brand that files only Class 25 leaves its handbags, wallets, and luggage completely unprotected; a competitor could sell bags under the identical name without technically infringing the clothing mark. Belts sit in the same trap: worn as apparel, they're generally treated as Class 25, even when made of leather.
Our Class 25 clothing guide covers the apparel half of this pairing in depth. Each class carries its own USPTO filing fee, so the decision is really about matching registration to the actual and planned product range — not about avoiding cost by guessing which class matters more.
When the Bag's Shape Is Worth More Than the Name
Some of the most consequential trade-dress cases in all of fashion involve bags rather than logos. The silhouette of the Hermès Birkin and Kelly, the intrecciato weave of Bottega Veneta, and various Louis Vuitton configurations have all been asserted as protectable trade dress — meaning the shape and appearance of the product, independent of any name on it, functions as a source identifier. Registering that kind of protection requires showing the design is non-functional and has acquired distinctiveness, a genuinely high evidentiary bar, but for an iconic accessory it can end up being the most valuable asset a brand owns. Our guide to trade dress protection covers what that evidence actually looks like.
Louis Vuitton's monogram and Damier check, Hermès's bag names and shapes, Coach's signature C pattern, and Gucci's GG monogram and web stripe all sit at this intersection of wordmark and trade dress, and all four run some of the most aggressive enforcement programs in luxury retail.
What People Forget Is Even in This Class
Beyond bags and luggage, Class 18 quietly covers animal collars, leashes, and harnesses — a detail pet-accessory brands need and fashion brands sometimes overlook when they expand into that category. Eyewear cases, meanwhile, typically travel with the eyewear itself into Class 9 rather than staying in Class 18. And "leather goods" as a goods description is too vague on its own — list the specific articles you actually sell rather than relying on a broad catch-all term.
Search registered Class 18 trademarks before you commit to hardware, dust bags, and labels — clearing both Class 18 and Class 25 together up front is far cheaper than rebranding a line that's already launched.