Trademark Classes · Class 25
Class 25 covers clothing, footwear, and headgear. It is the core class for fashion and apparel brands. Here is what it includes, what it excludes, and how to word it to avoid an objection.
Class 25 is one of the most filed goods classes, covering clothing, footwear, and headgear. It includes all garments, shoes and boots, and hats and caps, whatever the material they are made from. It is the essential class for fashion, apparel, and footwear brands.
The key thing to understand is that Class 25 is defined by the finished garment, not the material: a leather jacket is Class 25 (clothing), not Class 18 (leather goods). Fashion brands often pair Class 25 with Class 35 for retail and Class 18 for bags. This page is part of our full guide to all 45 trademark classes, and to how protection works across jurisdictions in our overview of trademark law and protection.
Work out whether your product or service genuinely sits in Class 25 before you file, because a wrong class protects the wrong thing.
Fashion and apparel brands, footwear makers, headwear brands, and any business selling garments, shoes, or hats. If your product is something worn, clothing, footwear, or headgear, Class 25 is very likely your core class. Our trademark class search helps you check which classes fit before you file.
The most common Class 25 mistakes come from classifying by the wrong feature. These closely related items sit elsewhere:
Handbags and leather carry-goods are Class 18, not Class 25. Only worn items are Class 25.
Selling clothing as a retail service is Class 35. The garments themselves are Class 25.
Worn jewellery and watches are Class 14, not Class 25.
The Registry expects specific, standardised descriptions, not vague terms. Here are examples of clear, acceptable Class 25 wording:
| Instead of (vague) | Use (standardised) |
|---|---|
| “Clothing” | “Clothing” · “Articles of clothing” |
| “Shoes” | “Footwear” · “Shoes and boots” |
| “Hats” | “Headgear” · “Hats and caps” |
| “T-shirts” | “T-shirts” · “Tops as clothing” |
Each entry is specific and standardised. These are illustrative examples of acceptable phrasing, not legal advice for your filing; your exact wording should be drawn from the current NICE Classification and tailored to what your business actually does. Wording is a common cause of objections whether you file in India, the United States, Argentina, or elsewhere. For filing across several countries at once, see our global registration guide.
Class 25 covers clothing, footwear, and headgear, all garments, shoes, boots, hats, and caps, whatever the material they are made from. It is the essential class for fashion, apparel, and footwear brands. It is defined by the finished worn item, so a leather jacket is Class 25 clothing, not Class 18 leather goods. Retail of clothing, by contrast, is a Class 35 service.
Fashion and apparel brands, footwear makers, headwear brands, and any business selling garments, shoes, or hats. If your product is something worn, clothing, footwear, or headgear, Class 25 is very likely your core class. Many fashion brands also file Class 35 for retail and Class 18 for bags.
A leather jacket is classified in Class 25, the clothing class, because Class 25 is defined by the finished worn garment, not the material it is made from. Class 18 covers leather as a material and leather carry-goods such as bags and wallets, but garments, even leather ones, are always Class 25.
Possibly. Class 25 protects the clothing itself. If you also run a shop or online store selling clothing, whether your own or others’ brands, that retail activity is a Class 35 service, and you may want to protect it separately. Many fashion brands file both, Class 25 for the products and Class 35 for the retail operation.
Use specific, standardised terms such as clothing, footwear, and headgear, or name the specific items such as t-shirts or shoes. Avoid vague phrases like all goods in class 25, which can attract an objection. Draw wording from the current NICE Classification and tailor it to your actual product range.
Whether you are protecting your brand in one market or several, we identify the classes you need and handle registration worldwide, worded to avoid an avoidable objection.
