Copying in the fashion industry is no new concept. Charles Frederic Worth, considered the pioneer of haute-couture, started stitching his name onto his original creations as early as in 1850 to protect himself from sly copycats. However, with the extensive multiplication of clothing brands and the strong development of fast-fashion, this phenomenon has grown hugely over the past decades. Despite the increasing magnitude of the copying problem, regulations to protect designers are still scarce and complex, especially in the United States. No clear patents or copyrights exist like in the pharmaceutical industry for example. The reasons for this leniency are multifold: Firstly, clothes are considered a more a commodity rather…

AI AKA Artificial intelligence: computer completed tasks by simulating human intelligence. Blockchain: states of information at a determined moment in time represented by a chain of blocks. Each block can be traced to the previous one while each chain of blocks resides independently in a decentralised network which requires general consensus and thus ensures validity. Blockchain and artificial intelligence are few of the trending, fuzzy technological terms we encounter e v e r y w h e r e. Technological revolutions, the greatest inventions after the internet, call them as you want: it feels like they could change the way we do business forever. Fashion, one of the most complex and…

Subsidies for small to medium retailers and higher taxes for tech-giants. These are the new directives to be introduced in the UK by April 2020 in order to level the playing field between different distribution channels in a country that is greatly affected by the crisis of historical retail chains such as Marks & Spencer or Debenhams. Many retailers are struggling to survive as the competition from online firms – that employ fewer staff and pay lower tax rates – is increasing quickly. Phillip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Member of Parliament, introduced two ways to level the playing field: firstly, support retailers with the profitability of their…

Sunday, 2 December 2018 A few weeks ago, Victoria’s Secret announced new lingerie megastore opening, this time – in Rome, Italy. The news came in as a bit of surprise – in the wake of last summer’s losses in revenue and 55% drop in shares since the beginning of the year, it would seem that L Brands, owner of Victoria’s Secret and Pink, would be too busy implementing changes in business to be stretching the problem to new markets overseas. But can a turnaround happen for lingerie juggernaut? On the day of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show airing, let’s see if all that glitters is gold. Victoria’s Secret dropped to their…

Fashion is an everyday topic for everyone. Most people usually spend some time thinking about what to wear, but not everyone thinks about how to wear it. From closing zippers to buttoning our shirts, there are many aspects that don’t seem like a bother to most. But for people with disabilities, it’s a whole other story. Once defined by exclusivity, fashion has started to develop as a more all-accepting sector in the past years. Although it has started catering to a broader variety of body types, incomes, and cultural backgrounds, clothing made for people with disabilities, called “the adaptive wear industry”, is still lagging behind. Increasing ranges for disability would…