Taylor Swift protects brand with Alibaba, JD.com deals

American pop star Taylor Swift has agreed deals with two Chinese online retailers aimed at preventing piracy of her fashion line.

A report in the Wall Street Journal reveals Swift plans to sell exclusively-designed dresses, sweatshirts and tops through JD.com's just-launched US mall - which will distribute imported US products for sale to customers in China - as well as designer T shirts via Alibaba's Tmall platform.

Taylor Swift is massively popular in China and sales of counterfeit and pirated merchandise are widely sold, with counterfeiters taking advantage of the star's forthcoming 1989 tour which reaches the country later this year.

The star is launching her fashion line in China with the help of Heritage66Company, which said all the clothing products will carry antipiracy hanging tags that enable customers to track their authenticity on the Internet. The hope is that by making genuine products available through these platforms it will discourage the sale of knock-off items, it added.

JD.com founder and chief executive Richard Liu said the company was becoming increasingly successful at attracting major US brands to its platform thanks in part to its "zero tolerance towards counterfeits."

Other brands that have signed deals with JD.com include Converse, Samsonite, Ocean Spray and several major apparel labels that are part of the Global Brands Group, including Nautica Kids and Jeep apparel.


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