A freelance fashion designer took on a global footwear company, and both lost

http://qz.com/525536/a-freelance-fashion-designer-took-on-a-global-footwear-company-and-they-both-lost/

by antr • 11 years ago

25 5 11 years ago

dublinben• 11 years ago

Thankfully there is no broad copyright protection of fashion designs, otherwise we might see numerous cases like this brought to court and bogging down the industry.

It's unfortunate that this designer feels he was 'stolen' from, but his designs are incredibly similar to older designs anyway.

pcurve• 11 years ago

both lost? I would argue both are winners in this case. The company isn't exactly LV or Hermes of shoes. This type of publicity does more good than harm. As for the designer, it looks like he has done ok for himself too. There is no denying that he has a talent.

jackgavigan• 11 years ago

Some fashion designers are quite paranoid about their designs being copied by bigger brands. I've been challenged by designers while doing reportage-style photography of the exhibition at London Fashion Week, asking me who I was and who I worked for. Apparently, mass-market fashion manufacturers and retailers make use of the services provided by companies like WGSN to get "inspiration" for their own ranges.

Examples include Primark allegedly copying Mary Katrantzou's designs - http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/how-to-... - and Nasty Gal copying Alexander Wang - http://fashionista.com/2015/05/nasty-gal-alexander-wang-dres...

mfoy_• 11 years ago

But his experience does contain one lesson for other designers: Even when you’ve run out of other options, calling someone a “thief” in public may not be the wisest option.

Good takeaway, I think. Resorting to public name calling is pretty petty.

willtheperson• 11 years ago

It's kind of awesome that you can't lock down a style under legal means. It forces everyone to keep moving. It's probably also freeing to know that when you design something, you aren't going to be ripped apart because you were also inspired by some past design.

That said, it sucks for the designers who actually start the trend. What would be cool is if you, as a designer, could register your design just for the credit. That way, when the indie designer is looking for investment or a job, they can definitively say "I was the one who ... "

Dribbble/Linked in for fashion designers :)

A freelance fashion designer took on a global footwear company, and both lost

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