Models: Candice Huffine, Marquita Pring, Michelle Olson, Tara Lynn, and Kasia P.

Photographer: Sølve Sundsbo

Styling: Nicola Formichetti

++

Source: models.com + vmagazine

Copycat.. Forever 21 designs are on the top row & Trovata designs are on the bottom row.

-via WWD

After two years of legal wrangling, Trovata’s lawsuit alleging that cheap-chic retailer Forever 21 copied its designs is headed to trial next month, and the outcome could have implications for both vendors and retailers in this age of fast fashion. Barring a last-minute settlement, lawyers familiar with Forever 21’s extensive litigation history said this would be the first time the rapidly expanding retailer faces a jury that will determine whether it illegally clones other companies’ designs. The result could be a clarification of intellectual property rights in an era when facsimiles of runway looks often appear in multinational specialty chains before a designer’s original version has a chance to hit stores.

The federal court case involves seven garments Forever 21 sold in its stores in 2007, said to look identical, or almost identical, to garments designed by Trovata and publicized on the runway or in magazines. One Forever 21 garment also had an inside label that was a near representation of Trovata’s distinct label at the time.

Trovata’s attorneys argued the alleged copying of the designs constituted trade dress infringement. Trade dress is the legal term for the visual appearance of a product that links it to a particular brand in consumers’ minds. Trovata, which is headed by founder and designer John Whitledge, is seeking a multimillion-dollar award for actual and punitive damages.

Unlike other suits brought against Forever 21 in recent years by companies such as Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, BeBe Stores and Anthropologie, the Trovata suit does not allege copyright violations. Under current law, only original prints or graphics on clothes can be copyrighted — as they are considered artwork — and Trovata’s suit focuses on Forever 21’s copying of its unique button placements, decorative stitching, fabric patterns and other details.

Although U.S. copyright laws do not protect a garment’s basic design, silhouette or form, legislation is pending in Congress — supported by the Council of Fashion Designers of America — to expand copyright laws to the “appearance as a whole of an article” of clothing. The Design Piracy Prohibition Act has stalled in committee. Critics contend its provisions are too sweeping and would stifle competition and commerce in the apparel industry.

Forever 21 concedes in court papers that there are similarities between the Trovata and Forever 21 garments, but asserts it broke no laws.

Read more at WWD >>>>

(Models from left to right: Courtney Taylor, Marcus Lloyd, Dominique Hollington, Shawn Sutton –backstage after the Duckie Brown show)

It’s seems like the record skips every season that New York Fashion Week takes place, with the cries of “More diversity! More diversity! More diversity!” on the runways. Often times, those cries go unheard and unnoticed. Could the change that we’ve been so desperately wanting to see on the runway be in the making finally? Some think so — and there crediting President Obama to the change.

New York Times –

Photo Credit: Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

“Some casting sheets actually said ‘No Blacks,”’ the 19-year-old model Shawn Sutton was saying on Friday, backstage at the Duckie Brown show in the Bryant Park tent. He was referring to the model castings at the recent men’s wear shows in Milan.

“It was pretty brutal and, yeah, it was racist,” he added. “But things opened up a lot by Paris, so I paid it no mind.”

Mr. Sutton was one of 24 models in a show whose casting, for once, reflected some ethnic diversity. It is early days in New York’s Fashion Week, but already there are signs that the recent industry habits of exclusion may be undergoing a shift. Call it the Obama effect, if you will.

“Oh, it’s totally about Obama,” said Marcus Lloyd, a 22-year-old African American model from Dallas. “I remember my agent was like, ‘If Obama does become president, there’s going to be a lot more work for you guys.”’

[Read more →]

These days prices for our bare necessities such as: gas, food and cost of living are UP at an all-time high. Which has left many of us spending less money on what we can now label as luxuries, (i.e., magazines, travel, clothing/shoes, accessories) and leaving overall sales for these items way DOWN. So tell me lovies, are you feeling the pinch at the pocket during these hard economic times? Or are you still indulging in your fashion fixes as normal? Drop your thoughts.

To read more on this issue, WWD has the scoop.