The Tasmania Devils and Queensland streetwear brand Kenoath Clothing Co. have teamed up to bring back a limited edition “Ken Oath” t-shirt celebrating the appointment of senior coach Ken Hinkley, Pulse can reveal.
The collaboration follows an earlier hiccup when the club discovered the popular slang term was already trademarked, forcing it to pull its original merchandise.
Kath McCann, general manager of marketing, public affairs and social impact at the Devils, said the club was “stoked to announce that the Devils / Kenoath Tee is back for a one-off, limited one-week release.”
In a statement to Pulse, McCann said Kenoath Clothing Co. collaborated “without any commercial benefit, allowing supporters a unique opportunity to support the club.”
The shirt is available for $60 and now comes with a limited edition three-pack Kenoath sticker set.
Des Hughes, who founded the brand in 2012 after first trademarking “Ken Oath” in 2008, told Pulse earlier this week that any use of the name on clothing would need to be done collaboratively.
He said the Devils were far from the first to run into the issue.
“We’ve had something like 40 trademark breaches over the last couple of years, including a couple of big major retail outlets, which obviously the IP protected us and they had to withdraw those products,” he said.
Hughes said he was open to a partnership and would welcome something that gives back to the community.
“Maybe something like that, going back to the grassroots, the kids or, you know, something like that, which is something I really am passionate about,” he said.
A Tasmania Football Club spokesperson said at the time the club moved quickly once the trademark was discovered.
“It was a cheeky, fun campaign but who would have thought that an Aussie slang term had been copyrighted,” the spokesperson told Pulse.
The original merchandise was launched to mark Hinkley’s appointment as the Devils’ first AFL head coach this week, after he spent 13 seasons leading Port Adelaide.
The club is building towards its AFL and AFLW debuts in 2028.
