Hells Angels target NYC fashionistas

NORTHERN ARIZONA — The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is suing a New York-based clothing company and its distributor for allegedly misusing one of the club’s logos on products sold throughout Northern Arizona.

The squabble centers on the number 81. Twenty years ago, the gang adopted the “81” logo for things like hats, beanies, shirts, jackets, bikinis and other items that were sold to the public by club chapters. The logo stands for the Hells Angels because “H” and “A” are the eighth and first letters in the alphabet.

Clever, eh?

Less clever, the gang’s lawyer claims, was the alleged ripoff for unrelated apparel that Company 81 was making in New York and selling through Houston-based Stage Stores in Bullhead City and Show Low.

In its four-page complaint, the gang is claiming trademark infringement. It says the sale of these goods could “mislead and confuse the public” that the goods were approved by the gang or local chapters. It has asked both companies to cease, but neither obeyed.

Fritz Clapp, a California attorney based in Maui, is representing the Hells Angels.