Events
Inside Out 9
SOLD OUT!
Join us for our 9th annual panel featuring fashion's in-house counsel!
Washington may be routinely derided as the city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm, but U.S. federal agencies have been quite busy lately with new proposals and regulations that directly affect the fashion industry. We've asked in-house colleagues to join us for a candid, off-the-record discussion of the agency activities that they're watching closely, from the Copyright Office and AI to the DOL and employee misclassification to the SEC and climate change reporting -- and of course, the question on everyone's mind, wtFTC?! We look forward to seeing you during New York Fashion Week for our 9th annual in-house counsel panel, "Inside Out 9: Fashion's in-house counsel on federal agency agendas"! This session will not be recorded.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 2024
TIME: 9:30-10:45 am
PLACE: Fordham Law School, 150 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours professional practice, transitional and non-transitional
- Ewa Abrams, Kering
- Jeffrey Hellman, PVH
- Hayley Macon, Endeavor
- Alice Pang, Ralph Lauren
- Ashley Valdes, Warby Parker
- Moderated by Professor Susan Scafidi, Founder & Director, Fashion Law Institute at Fordham
For more information about the Institute or the CLE hardship policy, please contact us at events@fashionlawinstitute.com.
14th Annual Symposium
REGISTRATION CLOSED - SOLD OUT!
Join us in person on Thursday, October 10, for the 14th annual Fashion Law Institute symposium!
DATE: October 10, 2024
TIME: 9am-6pm
PLACE: Fordham Law School, 150 W. 62nd Street, 2nd floor
NYS CLE: 6.0 hours total
PANELS:
9am
Coffee
9:20am
Welcome
9:30–10:30am
Power of the purse: Antitrust issues litigation and fashion
10:45–11:45am
Getting a handle on new laws: Legislative and regulatory update
12–1pm
Lunch
1:15–2:15pm
Statement pieces: Dress codes, mask laws, and freedom of speech
2:30–3:30pm
So last season: Intellectual property challenges in the resale market
3:45–4:45pm
Totes and votes: Politics and the gift of garb
5–6pm
Reception
SPEAKERS:
- Christina Asbee, Disability Rights New York
- Laurie Berke-Weiss, Berke-Weiss Law
- Alessandra Biaggi, American politician, attorney, and activist
- Jana Checa Chong, Louis Vuitton
- Evan Clark, WWD
- Jacob Gallagher, New York Times
- Douglas Hand, Hand Baldachin & Associates
- Beth Haroules, New York Civil Liberties Union
- Hilary Jochmans, Jochmans Consulting
- Joshua W. Kapelman, Hilldun
- John Maltbie, Louis Vuitton
- Laura Zaharia Marion, J.Crew
- Olivera Medenica, Dunnington, Bartholow & Miller
- John Owens Jr., New York City Law Department
- Mimi Plange, Designer
- Norman Siegel, Siegel Teitelbaum & Evans
- Ashley Valdes, Warby Parker
- Sara Yood, Jewelers Vigilance Committee
- Elnaz Zarrini, Benefit Street Partners
We look forward to seeing you in 2024!
Sign up in January for these upcoming events:
Inside Out 9: Fashion's In-House Counsel!
Friday, February 9, 2024
14th Annual Symposium
Friday, April 26, 2024
Applications for our next Fashion Law Bootcamp in New York are also open!
And, if you're feeling the spirit of the season, the glee of a holiday bonus, or simply the satisfaction of planning a tax deduction before the end of the year, please help us continue the work of the Fashion Law Institute with your donation. We're a self-supporting 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and contributions at all levels are deeply appreciated!
Protected: CLE Materials: Unzipped
Unzipped
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT AND REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
We look forward to seeing you at a future event!
Fashion is a regular subject of editorial critique, whether as art or commerce, but fashion houses and industry professionals who receive negative attention are unlikely to appreciate the media spotlight. In extreme cases, fashion editors -- who rely on invitations, unlike restaurant or theater critics -- have been banned from runway shows. Journalists and social media commenters have also been threatened with defamation and invasion of privacy claims by irate fashion designers, brands, and photographers, both in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions. How do fashion critics balance access and candor, whether covering collections, reporting news, or analyzing the industry? Do anti-defamation lawsuits have a chilling effect on expression? Can anti-SLAPP laws balance free speech concerns? Please join
- Award-winning fashion journalist and author Teri Agins;
- Lindsey Schuyler and Tony Liu, the duo behind Diet Prada (infamously sued by Dolce & Gabbana);
- Italian attorney Marco Amorese;
- Jeff Trexler, Fashion Ethics professor at Fordham and an expert on banned books; and
- Professor Susan Scafidi, founder and director of the Fashion Law Institute,
for a Fashion Law Institute panel discussion, "Unzipped! Law and the Art of Speaking Truth to Fashion."
DATE: Thursday, November 9, 2023
TIME: 9:30-10:45am (continental breakfast at 9am)
PLACE: Fordham School of Law, 150 W.62nd St., New York, NY. 10023
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours professional practice, transitional and non-transitional
For more information about the Institute or the CLE hardship policy, please contact us at events@fashionlawinstitute.com.
Fashion Law Drafting
and
Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum
Applications for Fall 2025
Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2025 Fashion Law Drafting and Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum courses! The classroom component of these courses is shared and is scheduled for Mondays from 6:00-7:50pm.
Application instructions: Submit your application below no later than Tuesday, April 29, at 5:00pm EST. The application should consist of a maximum 200-word statement of interest, a résumé, and a transcript. Applications sent after the due date will be given lowest priority.
Fashion Law Drafting (2 credits)
Description of course: This advanced seminar will develop students’ skills in drafting legal documents related to fashion law. Students will complete a series of drafting assignments of increasing complexity, such as a cease-and-desist letter, a licensing agreement, a retail lease, a manufacturing agreement, an employment agreement, a consignment agreement, articles of organization and an operating agreement for a limited liability company, a model release form, sweepstakes rules, website terms of use, and a privacy policy and/or a complaint, each related to an aspect of fashion law.
Administrative notes: By permission only. Prerequisite: At least one prior fashion law course or equivalent experience (specify in application). Students who have taken Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum OR Fashion Law Practicum may NOT enroll in Fashion Law Drafting.
Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum (3 credits)
Description of course: This advanced seminar, which consists of both a classroom component and a fieldwork placement, will develop students' skills in the practice of fashion law. As part of the classroom component of the course, students will complete a series of drafting assignments of increasing complexity, such as a cease-and-desist letter, a licensing agreement, a retail lease, a manufacturing agreement, an employment agreement, a consignment agreement, articles of organization and an operating agreement for a limited liability company, a model release form, sweepstakes rules, website terms of use, and a privacy policy and/or a complaint, each related to an aspect of fashion law. In addition to the classroom component of the course, each student will be assigned to fieldwork placement at a fashion house or other fashion-related company, nonprofit organization, or law firm with a substantial practice in the field of fashion law.
Administrative notes: By permission only. Prerequisite: At least one prior fashion law course or equivalent experience (specify in application). The classroom component of this course is shared with Fashion Law Drafting. Students who have previously taken Fashion Law Drafting OR Fashion Law Practicum may NOT enroll in Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum.
All students who are provisionally accepted to Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum will initially be enrolled in Fashion Law Drafting (2 credits) by the registrar. Each student’s application will then be forwarded for consideration by a fieldwork supervisor – that is, a fashion house or other fashion-related company, nonprofit organization, or law firm with a substantial practice in the field of fashion law. Upon acceptance for a fieldwork placement, students’ registrations will be converted to Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum (3 credits). The law school cannot guarantee acceptance of a student into a fieldwork placement.
Students taking a clinic course or working (including at another internship) are advised against concurrently taking Fashion Law Drafting & Practicum due to the time commitment involved. (The fieldwork placement alone is typically 8-12 hours/week, according to the schedule set by the supervising company, organization, or firm; at a minimum it requires 42.5 hours of work over the duration of the semester as specified by the ABA – and usually many more.) Instead, consider Fashion Law Drafting, which shares the classroom component of this course but does not include a fieldwork placement.
Please do not attempt to contact the course instructors or potential internship sponsors during the selection process. If you have questions, please contact Ariele Elia, ariele@fashionlawinstitute.com.
Protected: CLE Materials Designing Diversity II
Fashion Week Panel: Designing Diversity II
Fashion has taken strides toward greater racial diversity – but as we anticipated in our panel discussion last fall, the U.S. Supreme Court has effectively eviscerated affirmative action, a key civil rights tool for over half a century. While the opinion addressed college admissions policies, its reasoning is far broader, and follow-on cases challenging corporate internships and scholarships are already on the horizon. Could a pledge to stock more products from an underrepresented group, a hiring strategy intended to achieve racial or other forms of diversity, or a program of targeted support for minority designers now be considered unconstitutional? How might the decision affect existing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs? And what are the best legal and ethical strategies for collecting the dividends of diversity and promoting the full spectrum of style in light of the Court's decision? Our panel of experts for "Designing Diversity after Affirmative Action, Part II" will discuss these questions and more. Join us at the beginning of New York Fashion Week to celebrate the Fashion Law Institute's 13th anniversary and engage in one of our favorite roles: cutting-edge analysis and constructive problem solving.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 2023
TIME: 9:30-10:45am (breakfast 9am)
PLACE: Fordham Law, 150 W. 62nd St., 2nd floor (Bateman Room)
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours Ethics and Professionalism, transitional and non-transitional
SPEAKERS:
Angie Byun, AB World
Hayley Macon, Endeavor
Jeff Trexler, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Kenya Wiley, Georgetown University
MODERATOR:
Professor Susan Scafidi
Founder & Director, Fashion Law Institute
Due to the social significance of this topic, there is no required registration fee. Voluntary donations are welcome – and tax-deductible!
Register now!
Designing Diversity 2: After Affirmative Action
Fashion has taken strides toward greater racial diversity – but as we anticipated in our panel discussion last fall, the U.S. Supreme Court has effectively eviscerated affirmative action, a key civil rights tool for over half a century. While the opinion addressed college admissions policies, its reasoning is far broader, and follow-on cases challenging corporate internships and scholarships are already on the horizon. Could a pledge to stock more products from an underrepresented group, a hiring strategy intended to achieve racial or other forms of diversity, or a program of targeted support for minority designers now be considered unconstitutional? How might the decision affect existing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs? And what are the best legal and ethical strategies for collecting the dividends of diversity and promoting the full spectrum of style in light of the Court's decision? Our panel of experts for "Designing Diversity after Affirmative Action, Part II" will discuss these questions and more. Join us at the beginning of New York Fashion Week to celebrate the Fashion Law Institute's 13th anniversary and engage in one of our favorite roles: cutting-edge analysis and constructive problem solving.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 2023
TIME: 9:30-10:45am (breakfast 9am)
PLACE: Fordham Law, 150 W. 62nd St., 2nd floor (Bateman Room)
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours Ethics and Professionalism, transitional and non-transitional
SPEAKERS:
Angie Byun, AB World
Hayley Macon, Endeavor
Jeff Trexler, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Kenya Wiley, Georgetown University
MODERATOR:
Professor Susan Scafidi
Founder & Director, Fashion Law Institute
Register now!
Due to the social significance of this topic, there is no required registration fee. Voluntary donations are welcome – and tax-deductible!
Symposium review at LookOnline.com
Missed our 13th annual symposium? Here’s a comprehensive – and delightful – overview of the entire event, with photos and panel summaries from Laurel Marcus @ LookOnline.com!
We’re preparing recordings of several panels – along with additional pics – and will post links here when they’re accessible.