The Fashion Law Changes Chanel Fall 2012 Collection

When it comes to the impact of fashion law and fashion blogging, no other story can quite top this. Julie Zerbo is a fellow fashion lawyer and founder of The Fashion Law, a successful blog covering all things fashion, including regular posts that identify designer knock-offs and assess the potential legal consequences of such copies. Generally, the posts involve a fast-fashion retailer knocking off the fashion works of emerging or high-end designers. But a couple weeks ago The Fashion Law found itself bravely, justifiably, and respectfully taking on the House of Chanel as it took notice that the Fall 2012 collection contained jewelry pieces that were "eerily similar" to Pamela Love's pieces from her 2011 collection.

Photo by www.asianfashionlaw.com

Why was this spotting so significant? As discussed in our previous post, the current US copyright regime grants jewelry full protection. Chanel's bracelets would therefore be subject to copyright infringement. Furthermore, Pamela Love is an emerging designer who has yet to gain the kind of influence that would enable her to defend her line against a global brand like Chanel. And frankly speaking, many would have probably assumed that her collection was drawn from Chanel's line. Such incidences can set emerging designers back as they vigorously work to build their brand and earn their rightful place in the fashion world. 

The Fashion Law's post immediately caught the eye of Fashionista, a leading fashion blog, who reached out to Chanel for comment. Chanel responded with a statement that surprised the fashion world:

"For the A/W 2012 collection, Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by the ‘mineral earth’ theme that explored amethyst, crystal and quartz. The theme was captured by the design of the show which included a runway of white granite sand, by the setting which featured huge crystal and amethyst columns, and by the clothing which was in earthy hues of purple, blue and gray. In keeping with the inspiration, large and colorful crystals also adorned some of the clothing and accessories, including heavy bracelets. It has been brought to our attention that some of the bracelets that appeared in the show may resemble those of another designer. Out of respect for the concerns raised and for the artistic process generally the House has decided not to offer these bracelets for sale as part of the A/W 2012 collection."

Following Chanel's comment, Styleite, Glamour, and NBC New York all recognized the amazing work of Julie Zerbo and The Fashion Law. Regardless of whether Chanel intentionally or unintentionally created the similar bracelet designs, their decision to remove the pieces from the Fall 2012 collection is a testament to the respect that all designers and players in the industry should have for their colleagues' artistic efforts. TFG had a chance to speak to Julie Zerbo about the impact of her post:

"The Chanel-Pamela Love story was really a chance for me to give my readers an accurate view of the fashion industry. Its not always fast-fashion retailers that are inspired by others; even large, established houses are inspired by others and/or similar things as others. I'm a huge fan of both parties and am looking forward to their upcoming collections. In terms of making an impact, I don't think about that too much. I think the true talents here are Pamela and Karl. I just hope Chanel's responsible and ethical response (not offering the bracelets at issue for sale) will influence others in the industry, especially in fashion, which unlike jewelry, offers designers extremely limited protection."

We here at TFG concur. Whether you are a fast-fashion retailer or a global fashion house, encouraging originality and creativity not only contributes to the growth of the industry, but also enhances the beauty and fun of the fashion itself. And if you don't believe so, perhaps a future post by Julie Zerbo will convince you otherwise- it certainly did Karl Lagerfeld.