An illegal fashion wholesaler operating in Berkshire has been fined £260,000 for selling fake designer clothes.

An investigation by the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) found R’Ellite Rainments Ltd and company director Mr Rajhumar Karuppiah Rajan was selling items branded with trademarks including Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Levi.

Confiscation orders were given to the company and Mr Rajan from Church Gate, Thatcham, at a court hearing in Reading on October 2.

These totalled to £267,544.85.

R’Ellite Rainments Ltd was fined £28,000 separately, and the two defendants were also ordered to pay £28,000 towards prosecution costs.

Mr Rajan, 41, was sentenced at an earlier hearing on October 4, 2023, to 14 months imprisonment and was suspended for 18 months. This included 150 hours of unpaid work requirement and 40 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Himself and R'Ellite Rainments Ltd entered guilty pleas to seven offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994.

On February 11, 2021, the Public Protection Partnership was informed that multiple pallet loads of potentially counterfeit clothing were at a storage facility in Hampshire, owned by R'Ellite Rainments Ltd.

Items including T-shirts, polo shirts, jeans, trousers and dresses were branded with trademarks such as Tommy Hilfiger, G-Star, Ralph Lauren, Diesel and Levi.

Officers attended the storage facility and seized 10 pallets full of clothing. After speaking with trademark holders, it was confirmed these items were counterfeit.

West Berkshire Council’s legal team and joint case management unit supported the prosecution.

Councillor Justin Pemberton, West Berkshire Council’s executive member for public protection said that counterfeit goods ‘creates an unfair trading environment for our many law-abiding businesses’.

The executive member said: “Our officers work hard to protect legitimate businesses as well as consumers from the sale of fraudulent goods which are cheaper and of an inferior quality and may not adhere to relevant safety standards.

“We will continue to take action against traders who sell counterfeit goods be it on the high street or on the internet.”

The Public Protection Partnership is a joint service provided by Bracknell Forest Council, West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council.

The service delivers environmental health, licencing and trading standards to people and businesses across Bracknell Forest and West Berkshire.

PPP works jointly with Wokingham Borough Council to provide a trading standards, financial investigation and case management service across the three authority areas.

These cover a wide range of areas including fair trading, food safety, animal health and taxi licensing.