“Fashion is part of the daily air and it changes all the time, with all the events. You can even see the approaching of a revolution in clothes. You can see and feel everything in clothes.” – Diana Vreeland (Noted columnist of Fashion industry)
Fashion Law or Apparel Law is that branch of law which covers the issues which arise throughout the life of an apparel or accessory. Intellectual property (or “IP”) plays an important in this industry due to the need to protect “creations of the mind,” the novel designs, the unique marks, etc. This Fashion industry is a commercial sector entity and also involves issues relating to Contract laws and various commercial laws. Fashion law is a rapidly growing specialty that deals with aspects of intellectual property, including copyright and trademark law, business law, licensing, textiles, merchandising, and, on occasion, the import/export side of customs.
It is claimed that Fashion law has been in existence since the establishment of Fashion houses, however it wasn’t an established field nor was it required. During the olden times, suits relating to duplication of items did not exist as designers were rather flattered to see replicas of their designs. Nowadays, designers have become aware of their rights and there has been a drastic change in their mentality and with the help of their legal teams their area of concentration has extended to the field of law in order to exercise their rights.
Luxury brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Versace, H&M, Skechers, Steve Madden have filed various suits over the past decade in relation to infringement of their designs.
The ‘Certificate in Fashion Law’ course offered by Enhelion in association with Legal Eye Advocates and Legal Consultants encompasses various concepts and the legal framework governing the industry. The course has been formulated by professionals having more than 15 years of experience in the field as well as in the inter-disciplinary fields related to it, namely commercial and contract laws. The modules include the fundamentals of fashion law, the negotiations involved, the inter-relation of Intellectual Property Rights, Commercial and business laws to Fashion Law.
The knowledge imparted by the inter-disciplinary modules is the distinctive feature that makes the course unique. This knowledge is in demand in the legal fraternity, as the sector is no longer limited to the study of core fields.
Fashion law is the fastest growing industry in the law community and as a result lawyers are needed from finding the best deals for retail stores, to selling high-ended designers fashion to the highest bidder, and even in cases protection of Intellectual Property.