Fashion Law Institute

Council of Fashion Designers of America

Fashion Law Institute

Founded| 2010
Founder| Susan Scafidi
Type| Educational
Location|

* New York, United States

Website| www.fashionlawinstitute.com

Established in 2010 with the support of Diane von Furstenberg and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the Fashion Law Institute is the world's first academic center dedicated to legal and business issues pertaining to the fashion industry.[1][2][3][4] The Fashion Law Institute's founder and academic director is Professor Susan Scafidi, who teaches at Fordham Law School. The Fashion Law Institute is a nonprofit organization recognized as a tax-exempt educational organization under the Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.[5]

## Programs[edit]

The Fashion Law Institute offers a range of programs aimed at assisting fashion lawyers, law students, design students, and members of the fashion community.

* The Fashion Law Pop-Up Clinic, which offers free legal consultations to emerging and independent designers, as well as other fashion professionals,[6][7]
* The annual Fashion Law Institute symposium,[8]
* Public educational events,[9][10][11]
* Information on legal issues affecting the fashion industry,[12] and
* A fashion law curriculum including such courses as Fashion Law, Fashion Modeling Law, Fashion Law & Finance, the Fashion Law Practicum, Fashion Retail Law, and Fashion Ethics, Sustainability, & Development.[13]
* The first Fashion Law master's degrees, an LLM for lawyers and MSL (Masters of Studies in Law) for non-lawyers.[14][15]

## Fashion Law Bootcamp[edit]

The Fashion Law Institute's Fashion Law Bootcamp is an annual summer intensive course of fashion law and business.[16] Fashion Law Bootcamp has been held in New York since 2011. The West Coast version of Fashion Law Bootcamp is held in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.[17]

Fashion Law Bootcamp has attracted fashion law influencers from around the world, including Brazil,[18] the U.K.,[19] and Puerto Rico.[20] Other Bootcamp alumni include Lara Miller, Bogdan Enica, Sarah Feingold, counsel for Etsy,[21] Mimi Plange,[22] Carrie Hammer,[23] and supermodel Brittany Mason.[24]

## Fashion Shows[edit]

The Fashion Law Institute held fashion shows at the tents at Lincoln Center during the S/S 2013 and S/S 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion Weeks in New York City. The shows featured emerging designers and highlighted the Institute's Fashion Law Pop-Up Clinic.[25][26] The Fashion Law Institute's S/S 2014 show featured the first plus-size designer to show at the Fashion Week tents in Lincoln Center.[27][28]

## Model Advocacy[edit]

In 2012, the Fashion Law Institute assisted with the launch of the Model Alliance.[29] Professor Scafidi serves as a member of the Model Alliance board, and attorney Doreen Small, who teaches the Fashion Law Institute's Fashion Modeling Law course, is a member of the Model Alliance's Advisory Board.[30] Professors Scafidi and Small were both involved in the drafting and passage of a New York law giving models under the age of 18 the same legal protections as child performers,[31][32] and in 2013, the Fashion Law Institute prepared the Council of Fashion Designers of America's guide to this newly enacted law.[33] In 2018, Professors Scafidi and Small were appointed to the founding advisory board of the Humans of Fashion Foundation, an NGO dedicated to addressing sexual harassment and abuse in the fashion industry.[34]

## Dolce & Gabbana v. Diet Prada Lawsuit[edit]

In 2019, the Fashion Law Institute's Fashion Law Pop-Up Clinic became defense counsel for Diet Prada in a defamation lawsuit filed in Italy by Dolce & Gabbana.[35] The main predicate of the lawsuit was Diet Prada's reposting of anti-Asian statements made by the brand's co-founder Stefano Gabbana, who described China as "the country of [5 poop emoji]" and "China Ignorant Dirty Smelling Mafia."[36]

## See also[edit]

* Plus-size clothing
* Plus-size model
* Model Alliance
* Sara Ziff
* Council of Fashion Designers of America

## References[edit]

1. ^ Jothiandan, Shakthi. "Fordham's New Fashion Law Institute Will Serve, Protect, Talk Shoes", New York Magazine, 11 August 10. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
2. ^ Jothiandan, Shakthi. "Diane Von Furstenberg Wields a Gavel for Fashion Law, New York Magazine, 9 September 2010. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
3. ^ Alexander, Ella. "Laws of Fashion", Vogue UK, 12 August 2012. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
4. ^ Buonsanto, Maria. "Una scuola per i fashion lawyers", Italia Oggi, 10 October 2010. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
5. ^ Fashion Law Institute - About. Retrieved on 6 November 2012.
6. ^ Hall, Melissa. [http://theemergingdesigner.com/fashion-law-institutes-free-monthly-pop-up-clinic/ Fashion Law Institute's Free Monthly Pop-Up Clinic>, The Emerging Designer, 1 November 2012. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
7. ^ Fashion Law Institute. "Your Legal Qs". Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
8. ^ Steigrad, Alexandra. "Web Ground Zero in Ongoing War on Counterfeits", Women's Wear Daily, 25 April 2011. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
9. ^ "5 Things We Learned at Fordham's "Law of the Fashion Show" Panel", Racked, 14 February 2012. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
10. ^ Pasquarelli, Adrianne. "Copyright abuses rampant at fashion shows", Crains New York Business, 10 February 2012. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
11. ^ Fashion Law Institute. "Events". Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
12. ^ "Guide to Pending New York Law on Models Under Age 18", Council of Fashion Designers of America. Retrieved on 4 November 2013.
13. ^ Fashion Law Institute, "Curriculum & Faculty".
14. ^ "Fordham Law Announces First Academic Degree in Fashion Law". Racked. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
15. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (2015-06-22). "Fashion's Latest Accessory: The Law". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
16. ^ Fashion Law Institute. "Fashion Law Bootcamp". Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
17. ^ Feitelberg, Rosemary (2016-06-30). "Fashion Law and Technology Will Be the Focus in Silicon Valley Boot Camp". WWD. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
18. ^ Magro, Maira. "Bancas se especializam em moda", Valor Economico, Brazil, 19 December 2011. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
19. ^ Annabelle Gauberti, LinkedIn profile. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
20. ^ Fashion Law Student Association, Puerto Rico. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
21. ^ Feingold, Sarah. "The Poppy Print Problem" Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine, The Etsy Blog, 2 August 2012. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
22. ^ "Fashion Law Institute Celebrates 5 Years with Showcase of Ghanaian-American Designer Mimi Plange's Collection at New York Fashion Week - Ladybrille® Magazine". ladybrillemag.com. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
23. ^ Fusion. "Bringing fashion and feminism to the legal world before it was popular". Splinter. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
24. ^ "Bio" Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine, BrittanyMason.com. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
25. ^ "Show also cultivates business sense", Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan, 13 September 2012. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
26. ^ Steigrad, Alexandra. "Fordham Law to Dole Out Advice at NYFW", Women's Wear Daily, 4 September 2012. Retrieved on 20 December 2012.
27. ^ "Cabiria, curvy designer NYFW", "Vogue Italia", 2 September 2013. Retrieved on 24 October 2013.
28. ^ "Bye, ultra-skinny models: Full-figured fashion show comes to New York" Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine, "Agence France-Presse", 6 September 2013. Retrieved on 24 October 2013.
29. ^ "Model Alliance Seeks to Better Working Conditions in Fashion World", "ABA Journal", 1 May 2012. Retrieved on 4 November 2013.
30. ^ "About Us", Model Alliance. Retrieved on 4 November 2013.
31. ^ Holpuch, Amanda (2013-10-22). "New York increases protections for young models with child labor law". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
32. ^ "How New York's Recently Passed Model Law Could Change Fashion Week". Fashionista. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
33. ^ "Guide to Pending New York Law on Models Under Age 18", Council of Fashion Designers of America. Retrieved on 4 November 2013.
34. ^ "HUMANS OF FASHION FOUNDATION: NASCE UNA ONG PER PREVENIRE LE MOLESTIE NEL MONDO DELLA MODA - Chi è Chi Online". Chi è Chi Online (in Italian). 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
35. ^ "Dolce&Gabbana seeks over $600M damages from 2 US bloggers". AP NEWS. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
36. ^ Wilkinson, Joseph. "Dolce & Gabbana files $600 million lawsuit against 2 fashion bloggers who exposed racist messages from founder". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.

## External links[edit]

* Fashion Law Institute
* Mercedes Benz Fashion Week - Fashion Law Institute
* Model Alliance
* Fashion Law Website