What comes to your mind when you think of fashion and law? Does giving fashion a legal annotation make it any more fascinating or any less boring? Is it possible for a person fond of glamour to become a fashion lawyer? Can being a fashion lawyer bring a tinge of glamour into a lawyer’s boring legal life? The answer is- possibly. The field of law is volatile and dynamic, it has to adapt to what is trending in the society just like any fashion- minded being.
While being a fashion attorney has its own pros like- getting invited to fashion shows both locally and internationally, it also has its cons in the form of heavy work and complex legal issues such as intellectual property infringements, etc.
Fashion law, otherwise called apparel law, is an evolving forte or talent so to speak that includes issues encompassing the life of a piece of clothing from origination to brand assurance. Fashion law clients comprise of mostly design houses, wholesalers, tailors, modeling agencies, retailers, and photographers.
It is very vital for a good fashion lawyer to have expert knowledge in fashion, since fashion is not just about knowing how to carry an apparel, a fashion attorney is supposed to know the A to Z related to a brand of clothing- from the inception of its idea to its launch in the industry/ market. “A good fashion lawyer has to talk the talk of fashion but also has to be able to walk the walk on any complex concern that arises.”, says Simon Bennett, fashion partner at Fox Williams LLP. To make the most ‘cost- effective’ decisions for their client, the counsel has to have legal knowledge as well as a keen interest in this industry.
Since the field is not one which a person would think of normally, there are very less institutions in India as well as abroad that offer young to- be lawyers to specialize in the fashion industry.
A couple of different schools have initiated educational programs and coursework in the region of fashion law also, like Loyola Law School, the University of Buffalo Law School, New York Law School, and New York University.
Fordham Law School in Manhattan has propelled the world’s first Fashion Law Institute in late 2010 with the help of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Diane von Furstenberg. The Institute offers J.D. furthermore, LL.M. understudies the chance to study fashion related lawful issues. The Fashion Law Institute additionally gives pro bono counseling clinics to potential talent. Specialization courses inculcate topics, for example, Fashion Law and Finance and Fashion Ethics, Sustainability, and Development, just as Fashion Retail Law and the Fashion Law Practicum. The foundation offers an open class arrangement for fashion and legal experts, just as a mid year escalated course that is available to both degree and non-qualification courses.
If you are looking to make a career in fashion law, then have a look at perfect Fashion Law courses offered as short-term certificate and diploma programme taught by experts in the industry, take Fashion Law Journal and Legal Desire courses on Fashion Law, To know more about course modules, detailed information and registration, Click Here or visit: www.legaldesire.com/fashionlaw
Fashion lawyers assist their clients on legal issues confronting the style, material, clothing, extravagance, footwear, gems, and beautifying agents- cosmetic businesses. These run the extent from authorizing, marketing, conveyance, and diversifying contracts to licensed innovation/ intellectual property, business, and labour related issues. They involve security, manageability, and consumer protection issues. Different parts of corporate, land, assessment, and business law additionally become possibly the most important factor of fashion law. Fashion attorneys play out a wide scope of obligations from drafting and negotiating contracts to acknowledgement and litigation of trademark, copyright, and other IPR related issues. They’re responsible for shaping and dissolving business substances and counseling on brand improvement and security. Fashion attorneys additionally counsel on design protection, import-export, licensing and other issues. The huge amount of interference caused by technology in the fashion industry are exponentially protruding in fashion law practice. Fashion law is on the verge of going in directions and to places where no one has gone before. The approach and development of additive manufacturing- 3D printing- is the greatest interruption that the field of fashion has ever experienced, and is turning both the business and fashion law back to front. With 3D- printed apparels entering the market, an entire cluster of new legal issues like piracy and counterfeiting are developing and influencing traditional law practice territories.
The opportunities in this field are far fetched but so are the challenges. With the increasing encroachment of internet in every scope of a person’s career, competition law has become an inseparable part of fashion industry.
Source
- http://legalcareerview.com/lawafter-a-fashion/
- http://www.businessworld.in/article/Legal-Awareness-Necessary-in-Fashion-Industry-Says-Experts/28-07-2017-123106/
- https://www.thebalancecareers.com/fashion-law-2164606
- https://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/aug/02/is-fashion-law-as-glamorous-as-it-sounds
