Requirement:
Challenge and Solution: What is the fashion industry’s biggest challenge impacting society and how should
policymakers help to address that challenge?
Requirements: Propose a policy solution for the U.S. Legislative Branch or the U.S. Executive Branch.
Format: Op-Ed or “Dear Colleague” letter. (Samples attached)
Grading Criteria:
• Knowledge of assigned readings and class discussion
• Research of challenge and solution
• Analysis for implementation in a real-world context
• Clear and concise writing, with no typographical or grammatical errors
You must submit a solution for the U.S. Legislative Branch or the U.S. Executive Branch. You should not summarize a previous bill or existing statute. Your midterm must be in the format of an op-ed for a media outlet or a “Dear Colleague” letter. Please see the examples of op-eds and a “Dear Colleague” letter attached.
Provide sources to support your challenge and solution. Please provide a list of your sources as footnotes or endnotes to support your challenge and solution. This includes your research covering reports, legislation, legislative history, articles and any other sources. For example, if you plan to address the challenge of trademark counterfeiting, please provide data on counterfeit seizures, economic harm or other materials to support your claim. Your footnotes or endnotes will not count towards your word count.
Make every word count. Your midterm shall not exceed 850 words (not including citations), so every word counts. If you plan to address intellectual property law, please ensure that you discuss the appropriate area of IP law and that you use the correct terminology. For example, are you discussing trademarks, copyrights or patents?
Topic: Fast Fashion IP Law
Current Draft:
Identifying a challenge: The phrase “fast fashion” refers to low-cost clothing collections that mimic current luxury fashion trends. Fast fashion does not create fashion, but responds quickly to fashion, which causes the situation that there is almost no independent style created by the brand. Fast fashion brands spend tens of millions of euros each year in fines for copying or buying copyrights. They steal the idea of some independent designers to create cheap alternatives that are in line with the current fashion. When every fashion girl feels that she is always at the forefront of the trend, in fact, it is just a monetization tool for these brands. The lack of independent thinking and ideas makes these designers more like information collectors.
Identifying a solution: Improvements to the law to improve the situation of serious plagiarism of fast fashion brands. Clothes that are out of season and unsalable by fast fashion brands will not be donated or recycled. Brands will destroy these “outdated” clothes to maintain their brand image. Adding a link between fashion brands and sustainability to create a better ecosystem.
Reference:
https://www3.nd.edu/~jsherry/pdf/2012/FastFashionSustainability.pdf
Joy, A., Sherry, J. F., Venkatesh, A., Wang, J., & Chan, R. (2012). Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands. Fashion Theory, 16(3), 273–295. https://doi.org/10.2752/175174112×13340749707123
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|