Fashion & Apparel

Fashion & Apparel

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Rising competition and the pace of copying can leave your brand exposed, often because of gaps in IP protection. Our trade mark attorneys, IP solicitors, and patent attorneys know how to protect, enforce, and grow your fashion brand.

IP runs through every part of the fashion supply chain, from design and production to retail and recycling. It's a fast-moving, competitive sector, and the pace of trend cycles and customer reach has only intensified through social media and online platforms. Without clear IP protection, your brand is more vulnerable than ever.

A single garment can involve multiple IP rights:

  • Trade marks can protect your brand and other identifiers, such as logos, images or shapes.
  • Copyright can protect your design drawings and the artistic elements of your products.
  • Unregistered design rights can offer cost-effective protection for the shape and configuration of seasonal, trend-led garments.
  • Registered design rights can secure the design aesthetic of classic, timeless fashion pieces.
  • Patents protect the technology behind production machinery and the science behind high-performance fabrics or wearable tech.

Fashion and textiles are in our DNA. Our roots are in Nottingham, the UK's lace-making capital. Today, with offices in London and across Europe, we're well placed to support fashion businesses in the world's most competitive markets. We know how to protect your rights, and how to ensure your IP strategy delivers commercial value.

Want to discuss how to protect and maximise the value of your fashion brand? Contact our team.

How We Help Protect and Commercialise Your Fashion Brand

We’ve worked with fashion and apparel businesses at every level, from small independents to global luxury brands, leading textile manufacturers, and e-commerce start-ups.

We understand what it takes to protect fashion brands, designs, and innovation in a highly competitive, fast-moving industry.

Our goal is always to maximise the commercial value of your IP.

That might mean protecting your brand identity, securing innovation in new materials, or licensing your designs to collaborators or retailers. We help ensure your IP supports your business model, supply chain, and long-term growth.

Our fashion and apparel team includes not only trade mark attorneys, but also patent attorneys and experienced IP solicitors. Together they advise across every core area of IP.

This includes trade mark clearance and enforcement, design protection, licensing and collaboration agreements, and strategies to prevent counterfeiting and unauthorised use.

Our team will:

  • Protect your brand through trade mark registration, watching, and enforcement. We advise globally and monitor platforms for misuse or infringement.
  • Secure rights in innovative designs or fashion technologies. We help you use design rights or patents to safeguard product features and materials.
  • Maximise commercial value through licensing and collaboration agreements. We support you in structuring deals that generate revenue and protect IP ownership.
  • Take action against infringement or counterfeit activity. Our litigation team helps you defend your position and enforce your rights across the UK and Europe.

Related News

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UPC rules that Gucci does not infringe leather printing patent

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IPEC puts clear water between UK and EU law on works of artistic craftsmanship

IPEC puts clear water between UK and EU law on works of artistic craftsmanship

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Get in Touch with Our Fashion & Apparel Team

Edwina FitzHugh
Mark Kramer
Caroline Marshall
Sarah Talland
Chris Baume

Want to discuss how we can support your fashion brand? We'd love to hear from you. Fill in the form and we'll be in touch soon.

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