For law students who have genuine interest in fashion may combine their interests and go for a career in fashion law. This field of law is also known as apparel law and is a much proliferating area of legal discipline. It involves creation of a brand and its clients constitute designers, manufacturers, suppliers, various fashion houses ,modeling agencies and photographers.
The Fashion Foundation of India is a recent establishment which is composed of the leading designers of India. These designers obtain protection from copying of intellectual property and piracy. In India protection for this is provided in three different legislations and they are the Copyright Act 1957, Geographical Indication of Goods Act 1999 and the Design Act 2000.
In order to become a fashion lawyer no strict path has to be followed for the same. However, with the right education, contacts and work experience one may become a successful fashion lawyer.
Very few law schools offer this course and the ones who pursue it are more focused on creating a career in this field rather than teaching this further to other aspirants. If you are considering pursuing law in your future and have a knack for fashion then you can opt to study from a law school where this combination of subjects are being offered.
One may start working in the designing or fashion industry even if may not be directly focused or related to law. Eventually one may understand the working of the industry and then create a designing centered legal career. A fashion lawyer must have strong knowledge of fashion. Fashion does not only involve wearing fancy clothes. It is a much wider industry and involves various different sides of it. In order to become successful one must have a strong hold on both the areas i.e. legal and the fashion department.
Which Skill Should You Master?
Mostly the clients involved are creative individuals. It is very important for a fashion lawyer to have a good imagination and creative skills. They should also be good communicators so that they could communicate with their clients clearly and offer them the most accurate advice and solutions.
Fashion attorneys may work in intellectual property, copyright, design, trademark or even arbitration and labor law. Huge fashion brands usually have in-house legal departments of their own and some outsource from different law firms. One can provide services from either way possible by working in a law firm. This area of law usually governs the relations between fashion designers, retailers and consumers. They work on agreements regarding contractual obligations between them and also provide protection to designers and fashion houses.
When it comes to the launching of various products and fashion goods it requires a great range of activities by various parties which may lead to formation of complex contracts and patent or copyright securities right. Deep knowledge of fashion and law both is required to carry out such functions. A fashion lawyer may also work independently and establish his or her own law firm.
