Joe Lycett Has Changed His Name Back From Hugo Boss

It feels like ages since comedian Joe Lycett changed his name to Hugo Boss, but it was actually just last month.

And now, he's changed it back from Hugo Boss to Joe Lycett.

PA

The 31-year-old made the headline-grabbing decision as a protest against the fashion label, which he claimed costs small companies and charities thousands by taking legal action against them if they adopt a similar brand name.

But now - his mission of highlighting this perceived injustice well and truly accomplished - he has reverted back to his birth name.

In a statement, the host of Channel 4's comedy-meets-consumer rights show Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, said: "A little over a month ago I changed my name by deed poll to Hugo Boss.

"This was to raise awareness about the fact that fashion behemoth Hugo Boss have issued cease and desist letters to small businesses that have the word 'boss' in their name, including independent Swansea brewery, Boss Brewing. And raise awareness it did - it became world news with headlines across the globe and also Dick n Dom from da Bungalow said I should be knighted.

"Hugo Boss released a statement saying they 'welcome the comedian formerly known as Joe Lycett to the Hugo Boss family'. Well I have decided to go back to the Lycetts. They don't target small businesses, if you ignore the time mum posted a dump to the local florist."

He continued: "It's time for me to return to Joe Lycett. In tomorrow's episode [of Joe Lycett's Got Your Back] me and my team secure one of the biggest financial victories ever seen on a consumer TV show. It is worth millions. It would be wrong for the company Hugo Boss to in any way take claim of this victory, or indeed the many other victories across the series.

"I would however like to take this opportunity to issue one final statement as Hugo Boss: Hugo Boss has a smelly bum bum."

Shortly after Lycett initially changed his name, Hugo Boss responded in a statement which said it does 'not oppose the free use of language in any way'.

It said: "We welcome the comedian formerly known as Joe Lycett as a member of the HUGO BOSS family.

"As he will know, as a 'well-known' trademark (as opposed to a 'regular' trademark) HUGO BOSS enjoys increased protection not only against trademarks for similar goods, but also for dissimilar goods across all product categories for our brands and trademarks BOSS and BOSS Black and their associated visual appearance.

"Following the application by Boss Brewing to register a trademark similar to our 'well-known' trademark, we approached them to prevent potential misunderstanding regarding the brands BOSS and BOSS Black, which were being used to market beer and items of clothing.

"Both parties worked constructively to find a solution, which allows Boss Brewing the continued use of its name and all of its products, other than two beers (BOSS BLACK and BOSS BOSS) where a slight change of the name was agreed upon."

Topics: Celebrity, Joe Lycett, UK Entertainment

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey