B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Fashion Law
The
Ladies of Fashion Law!
Fashion law is a growing niche in the legal industry and nothing short of fun and
exciting. In addition to the fun
and excitement, this niche has some serious issues, landmark cases, and is
making its stiletto print on Capitol Hill.
Fashion
law is supported by so many, and we found it important to shed light on our colleagues also making
the business their passion. We’ve
noted the gents, now for the ladies.
Although this list is by no means all-inclusive, we were grateful enough to get some major contributors. We have some names and faces you should
know when it comes to legal matters in the fashion industry.
Here
they are in their own words. See
how major they are!
The
Trailblazer
Susan Scafidi is the first
professor ever to offer a course in Fashion Law. She founded and directs
the Fashion Law Institute, an independent nonprofit based at Fordham Law School
and the world's first center dedicated to legal and business issues involving
the fashion industry, and she is internationally recognized for her expertise
and her leadership in establishing the field. Professor Scafidi has testified
regarding the proposed extension of U.S. legal protection to fashion designs
and continues to work actively with members of Congress and the fashion
industry on the proposed Innovative Design Protection Act and other issues.
Prior to establishing the Fashion Law Institute with the
assistance of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and its president,
Diane von Furstenberg, Professor Scafidi was a tenured member of both the law
and history faculties at SMU and also taught at a number of other law schools,
including Yale and Georgetown. After attending Duke University and the Yale Law
School, she pursued graduate study in legal history at Berkeley and the
University of Chicago and clerked for Judge Morris S. Arnold of the Eighth
Circuit Court of Appeals.
Professor Scafidi is the author of the book Who Owns Culture?Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law, as well as numerous articles in
the areas of intellectual property, cultural property, and of course fashion
law. She also established the first website on fashion law, Counterfeit Chic,
which played a seminal role in defining the field and has been recognized as
one of the ABA's top 100 legal blogs.
Why I love Fashion Law: When I set out to define a field of "fashion law"
-- despite great skepticism -- it was with the goal of sharing information on
legal and business issues with the industry and training a community of lawyers
to serve fashion clients. Whether it's hearing from an attorney in
Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Sydney, or Chicago who's inspired by our work, learning
about another law student who's starting a blog, or recruiting a volunteer to
help a creative emerging designer, I love the feeling that together we're
changing the world, one well-tailored piece of advice at a time.
Keeping the
Niche Going
Washingtonian,
intellectual property attorney and writer, Mariessa
Terrell, is the founder of SBC Law Group,
a boutique brand management and intellectual property law firm located in
Washington, DC. Through her firm, Mariessa provides docketing, marketing,
licensing and intellectual property law (trademark, copyright) services to a
variety of clients including Lockheed Martin Corporation; Gloria Gelfand
Fashion Marketing Company; Soapy Love cosmetics and other creatives throughout
the US and abroad.
In 2011 Mariessa
launched an interactive website to
provide discounted IP legal services to emerging fashion designers, artists and
beauty professionals. In 2000, Prior to starting her own firm, Ms.
Terrell worked at the US Patent and Trademark Office as a Trademark Examining
Attorney and helped register trademarks for the leaders in the fashion and
beauty industries, including Estee Lauder, Balenciaga, Revlon, Dooney &
Burke, Johnson and Johnson and many others.
In 2012, Mariessa
founded the Fashion Law and Policy Center,
a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide fashion law education and
research services to creatives, attorneys, and law students.
An expert in the
field of marketing and intellectual property, Mariessa has lectured on branding
and trademark law at Howard University, the Arts Institute of Washington, DC
and the Smithsonian Institute; has taught a MBA graduate studies Advanced
Marketing Management course at Southeastern University; and currently teaches
Fashion Trend Forecasting at the Community College of the District of Columbia.
In April 2007,
Mariessa drafted legislation (Bill 17-173) to create a Commission on Fashion
Arts and Events in DC. Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the bill into law in April
2008. Mariessa is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and writes a
fashion law and lifestyle blog entitled, Yoo Hoo Darling.
Why
I love Fashion Law: I love fashion
law because it combines two of my favorite pursuits; unique fashion
and legal principles that protect creativity. I define fashion as
innovation in any arena. Fashion is not only a perfectly tailored
Givenchy frock but it is the sleek functionality of the latest mobile device,
the lightness of a apricot soufflé and the colored soles of a five inch
stiletto.
It wasn’t
until my last semester of my third year of law school that I actually fell in
love with the law. It took a course that combined marketing, branding
strategies and legal analysis to inspire me to pursue a career in soft
IP. After graduating from Howard Law, I went on to work in Law Office 106
of the US Patent and Trademark Office. There I reviewed trademark
applications for leaders in the fashion industry, including, Revlon, Dooney and
Bourke, and Chanel.
To me there is nothing better than helping an
emerging designer protect their creativity from the beginning. Innovation
is what becomes of our imagination when combined with a few rules. I
enjoy helping to clarify and demystify the rules of (fashion) law.
~~~
Kenya Wiley is an attorney and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of combined experience in government, law, politics and fashion design. Ms. Wiley is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Fashion Cloture, a blog portal connecting the fashion industry with Washington policy and politics. Since the launch of Fashion Cloture in January 2011, Ms. Wiley has worked with fashion executives in New York and Washington, DC on intellectual property, manufacturing, small business, and other public policy issues impacting the business of fashion. Ms. Wiley has also served as a panelist expert for Fashion Law Week DC and Howard University’s IP law seminar on copyright protection for fashion design.
Ms. Wiley received a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. Ms. Wiley is also the recipient of the Howard University School of Law 2012 Intelligent Design Award.
Why I love Fashion Law: My love for fashion law can be summed up in two words - "passion" and "people". Through my work in fashion law, I have had an opportunity to not only combine my love for fashion and politics; but I have also been able to meet and work with an amazing group of designers, professors, and other fashion law attorneys.
~~~
Kenya Wiley is an attorney and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of combined experience in government, law, politics and fashion design. Ms. Wiley is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Fashion Cloture, a blog portal connecting the fashion industry with Washington policy and politics. Since the launch of Fashion Cloture in January 2011, Ms. Wiley has worked with fashion executives in New York and Washington, DC on intellectual property, manufacturing, small business, and other public policy issues impacting the business of fashion. Ms. Wiley has also served as a panelist expert for Fashion Law Week DC and Howard University’s IP law seminar on copyright protection for fashion design.Ms. Wiley received a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. Ms. Wiley is also the recipient of the Howard University School of Law 2012 Intelligent Design Award.
Why I love Fashion Law: My love for fashion law can be summed up in two words - "passion" and "people". Through my work in fashion law, I have had an opportunity to not only combine my love for fashion and politics; but I have also been able to meet and work with an amazing group of designers, professors, and other fashion law attorneys.
~~~
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| Photo courtesy of HeadshotsCanada.ca, J R BERNSTEIN MEDIA INC.,www.JRBERNSTEIN.com |
Ashlee Froese is a lawyer and
trade-mark agent at Gilbert’s LLP whose practice encompasses trade-marks,
branding, social media and domain name laws. Ashlee brings a breadth of
experience assisting a wide variety of clients in a multitude of industries
with respect to managing and protecting their brands both domestically and
internationally. As a board member
of the Fashion Group International, Ashlee has a keen interest in assisting
fashion designers protect their creative ingenuity and maintains the website Canada Fashion Law.
She is an active member of the intellectual property law community,
participating as an Executive Member of the Toronto Intellectual Property Group
and as a member of several committees with the Intellectual Property Institute
of Canada and the International Trademarks Association. Ashlee is a frequent guest lecturer at
colleges, universities, and trade associations on brand protection.
Why I love Fashion Law: First and foremost, I strongly believe that if you are able to combine
your hobby with your career, your job becomes a delight. I’ve always had
an affinity for fashion and my move toward fashion law has been an
evolution. My scope of practice is trade-marks, copyright and social
media laws – basically I help protect and enforce companies’ brands. Over
the past couple of years I have immersed myself into Canada’s fashion industry
and have a greater understanding of the nuances of the business and also the
challenges that face fashion designers. I have a great amount of respect
for fashion designers and I made a conscious decision to shape my practice to
be able to assist them create successful businesses. Fashion law is more
developed niche in America than it is here in Canada. To a certain
extent, the fundamentals of trade-mark law are applicable to every industry.
The law is the law, irrespective of the industry. However, there are certain
nuances within each industry that may change your application of the law to the
business or alter ever present “business considerations” that govern clients’
decision-making. As a lawyer,
understanding those nuances can be of great assistance to your client. I hope to bring these insights to the
fashion industry. Such specialization is not uncommon in the intellectual
property field. For example, you
oftentimes come across patent lawyers that focus on the pharmaceutical
industry. I believe this can be
applied to the fashion industry
~~~
Ms. Kolsun co-conceived, co-edited, and co-authored with FIT professor Guillermo Jimenez “Fashion Law – A Guide for Designers, Fashion Executives, and Attorneys” (Fairchild Books), the first textbook on Fashion Law. Ms. Kolsun has devoted significant time and effort to the cause of enforcement of intellectual property, serving as Chairman of the Board of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC). She has also spoken and published widely on the topic of counterfeiting and trademark infringement in the United States, Asia, and Europe, and has been herself the subject of stories in numerous publications (ranging from The New York Times to Women’s Wear Daily) due to her pioneering work in the anticounterfeiting field.
Ms. Kolsun is an Adjunct Professor of Fashion Law at New York University and Benjamin N. Cardozo Schools of Law and was an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School from 1986-88 and 2011. She has guest taught and lectured at law schools and business schools around the country, including the University of Chicago Law School. In 2002 and 2004, Ms. Kolsun was a consultant on intellectual property in Vietnam as part of STAR-Vietnam, a USAID program.
She received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1982 and her undergraduate degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1971. Her experience as a professional singer and actress (1970-1979) continues to motivate her fierce efforts to protect artists’ and designers’ intellectual property rights.
Why I love Fashion Law: It is a trillion dollar industry globally. The issues are diverse and always evolving. I love working with creative people and my boss Stuart Weitzman is not only a talented and brilliant shoemaker, but the smartest person I have ever worked for.
~~~
Fashion Blawger is a 20-something West Coaster who recently graduated from a top ten
U.S. law school. This upcoming school year I will be studying intellectual
property in France. I have been an anonymous blogger since summer 2011 (2L
summer). My interest in fashion law is the main reason I started blogging; my
law school friends did not share my love of fashion law and I wanted to connect
to a community of people who do so I initially turned to the internet. I now
have learned how to spark my friends’ interests in fashion law by just drawing
from their interests. I love showing people how fashion law touches on their
own legal interests whether their legal passions lie in human rights, labor, or
real estate law.
Through clinic
work while I was in law school, I helped new start-ups get incorporated and
counseled them on how to promote their businesses while protecting their
intellectual property and I find this type of work both stimulating and
relaxing. The prospect of
litigating fashion law in a courtroom is amazing to me.
Why I love Fashion Law: With trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets all around us
I feel motivated to go into the IP field. I particularly love fashion and as an
artist myself, I like the idea of protecting things like trademarks and designs
because it is protecting the rights of artists. Protecting intellectual
property motivates businesses to build a good reputation. To build that
reputation those businesses will strive to make the consumer a happier one, so
everyone is a winner.
~~~
Patricia
Adams-Haywood is a Barrister and
Solicitor who has worked on four continents. She has experience working in
common law and civil law jurisdictions. As a fashion lawyer she guides fashion
designers and other players in the fashion industry in Asia. When not
working, she enjoys diving and snorkelling. Patricia lives in Indonesia with
her husband, who is also a lawyer.
Why I love Fashion Law: I am happy to be apart of
this new and exciting niche. I have been blessed to work with some of the most
creative people. The number of lawyers practising fashion law is small compared
to other areas of specialisation. I therefore feel like I am apart of a family,
all helping to build each other up. Just check out Twitter and see how
supportive of each other we are.
I also love
working with creative people. Having worked in corporate/commercial law firms
and international organisations, I can safely say that the clients I had then
and now are very different. I find
that everyday I am inspired to try something new and I have a new outlook on
life.
Lastly, I am able
to use my years of experience and legal expertise in this niche. I don't think
many people appreciate the complexity of fashion law, but fashion law requires
an all rounder; someone who appreciates numerous legal concepts and topics. My
experience for example in international trade, tax, employment, banking, and
general corporate law comes in very handy.
I knew I made the
right decision to enter this niche, when waking up in the morning to go to work
no longer felt like a chore.
~~~
With a passion for
law and fashion, extensive experience as a trial lawyer litigating a wide variety
of issues in both civil and criminal law; and almost two decades of first hand
knowledge and experiences that are as diverse as they are deep in the fashion
and entertainment industries (modeling, fashion retail, fashion production,
public relations, journalism, and publishing), Uduak Oduok is an attorney who “gets it” when it comes to resolving legal issues for the fashion and entertainment industries.
She has counseled
a range of clients from musicians, models, actors and actresses to designers on
numerous areas of the law including contracts, business law, fashion and
entertainment law, copyright, trademark and intellectual property law.
Uduak earned her
B.A. in Speech Communications, with honors, from San Jose State University,
with a minor in philosophy. She attended both Georgetown and UC Hastings School
of law, obtaining her Juris Doctorate in 2001 from UC Hastings College
of the Law.
She is also the founder and publisher of Ladybrille Magazine, the first ever publication focused on bringing African fashion and
entertainment to the Western masses, Ladybrille. In 2008, her effort was
recognized with a feature in the prestigious American Bar Journal. In 2010
Uduak was nominated for the Africa Fashion International Africa Fashion Awards
for her, “Outstanding Contribution to Fashion Communications.” This 2012 Uduak
has been nominated as 'Media Personality of the Year' at the 7th Annual Nigeria
Entertainment Awards to be held Aug 31-Sept 2 in New York.
Why I love Fashion Law: It is hard for me to put
it in words. I am passionate about fashion because I think it is something
innate in me just as much as law is. I have been told my maternal grandfather
was a tailor in addition to his role as an educator and a choir master. So that
may be where it comes from?
Officially in terms of my love for fashion, I began
modeling at 15 and became hooked. Ever since, I live, breathe and eat fashion.
(Laughs) I love fashion and I never get tired of talking fashion within and
outside the industry.
~~~
In fashion, it's
all about the fit. Attorney Shara Danielle Harris has the
experience, innovation and creativity to create a perfect fit with your
business.
For the past nine
years, Attorney Harris has specialized in the area of real estate law working
with high net worth individuals, REITS, syndicates, and investors. Her passion
has always been in the area of fashion working with fashion designers, models,
manufacturers, retailers, importers, exporters, and entertainers. Her
background as a business advisor, real estate professional and former fashion
industry executive adds immediate value to her clients because she has been in
their shoes and understands their businesses. She is where fashion meets law.
Attorney Harris
has successfully closed over 2,000 business and real estate transactions in
nine years of practice. She is a regular contributor to the American Bar
Association’s Young Lawyers Journal and is an active member of the Forum on
Entertainment & Sports Industries.
Attorney Harris
holds a Juris Doctor degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago,
Illinois with a concentration on international business and real estate; and, a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Business & Entertainment Management from
Columbia College Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
Her motto is "Don’t dream it. Live it.”
Why I love Fashion Law: I couldn't
imagine a life without some connection to fashion. Every since I was as child,
I've been intrigued by the way that fashion makes you feel…empowered and
beautiful. From modeling, to teaching modeling, to producing fashion
shows, to retail sales, management, visual merchandising and buying…I can truly
say that I have a well-rounded perspective of the business. While fashion
law is not my sole area of practice, I must say it is the most fun. To be
able to marry my passion with so many areas of law such as real estate,
business, intellectual property, international business, advertising and
employment…I couldn't ask for a better career! I am so excited to see this area
of practice develop to serve such an exciting industry.
~~~
Maria Daatio is fairly a newcomer in the legal
world, recently graduating from Southwestern Law School in the fashion law
capital of the west coast, Los Angeles. Not only is fashion law the perfect
intersection of her top five passions in life – branding, apparel, business,
intellectual property, and law – but what she loves most about this practice
area are the varied and multiple ways one can carve a path to becoming what pop
culture is coming to know as a fashion law attorney. As such, she has been
forging her own way, keeping in mind what she and others should know about the
business of fashion and how to get there. Fordham’s Fashion Law Institute and
the strong headway big industry players have already made in this practice area
have truly inspired her. She is
currently collaborating with other lawyers in the west coast to create a
practical skills course program tailored for fashion law in one of the top
entertainment law schools in the nation.
Why I love Fashion Law: She believes
that fashion law is a booming niche and that this specialization in the law
practice will very soon become as big as entertainment law has become
throughout the years.
~~~
Stephanie
Figueroa, Esq.
is native New Yorker whose academic interest in intellectual property law and
personal passion for style, fashion, and all things creative led her to write
about the legal elements that impact the fashion industry on
Inalegalfashion.com and share fashion law news on Twitter (@Inalegalfashion).
Stephanie
is admitted to practice law in the state of New York. She earned her JD from
New York Law School, where she was a Research Fellow with the Institute for
Information Law & Policy and helped create New York Law School's first
student run fashion law blog, Caseclothesed.com. Stephanie earned her B.A. in
Political Science from Binghamton University.
Why I love
Fashion Law:
I love fashion law because it builds upon the fundamentals of Intellectual
Property law to answer questions about the bags I buy and the shoes I fawn
over. How we chose to dress ourselves speaks volumes about our personalities
and professions, but it is also the living, breathing result of companies
engaging in litigation to make sure their brand reputations are what we want to
buy into. I see it whenever I go shopping. As I search for high end looks on a smaller budget, I can't
help but notice knock-offs, trademark infringement and potential design patent
copies everywhere I look. Being
able to identify the legal issues in my shopping cart is more satisfying than
the sale itself. Moreover, knowing
how companies protect their intellectual property helps me give advice to up
and coming designers and artists when they're trying to get themselves on the
consumer radar.
~~~
...And me! Victoria Watkins is a legislative attorney for the City of Chicago, specializing in state government issues. While spending time protecting the interests of the city she loves, Victoria makes certain to stay up on all things legislative, and all things fashion law. She is totally invigorated by this growing niche, and couldn't be more excited it's here. After being less than impressed with 1L courses, her introduction to property, and intellectual property gave her a new outlook on where this J.D. could take her. She created B.A.F.F.L.E.D. shortly after being admitted to the Illinois Bar, as a way to ensure her place in fashion law and channel her passions not used 9 to 5. These days, she splits her time between legislative law, fashion law, and sharing her love of Chicago with anyone who will listen.
Victoria is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a Bachelors in Consumer Economics & Finance, and earned her J.D. at DePaul University College of Law.
Why I love Fashion Law: Fashion law has been a breath of fresh air for me. I realized 2 of the things I love most, law and fashion, are more connected than I ever knew. I also find this industry warm and welcoming, especially as we all continue to work together to solidify its place in the profession. Fashion law is more than just a blog topic, it's part of what keeps me motivated as a lawyer. I enjoy teaching others about it and opening their eyes to something new and fun. I can't wait to see how fashion law continues to flourish and do my part to help.
...And me! Victoria Watkins is a legislative attorney for the City of Chicago, specializing in state government issues. While spending time protecting the interests of the city she loves, Victoria makes certain to stay up on all things legislative, and all things fashion law. She is totally invigorated by this growing niche, and couldn't be more excited it's here. After being less than impressed with 1L courses, her introduction to property, and intellectual property gave her a new outlook on where this J.D. could take her. She created B.A.F.F.L.E.D. shortly after being admitted to the Illinois Bar, as a way to ensure her place in fashion law and channel her passions not used 9 to 5. These days, she splits her time between legislative law, fashion law, and sharing her love of Chicago with anyone who will listen.
Victoria is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a Bachelors in Consumer Economics & Finance, and earned her J.D. at DePaul University College of Law.
Why I love Fashion Law: Fashion law has been a breath of fresh air for me. I realized 2 of the things I love most, law and fashion, are more connected than I ever knew. I also find this industry warm and welcoming, especially as we all continue to work together to solidify its place in the profession. Fashion law is more than just a blog topic, it's part of what keeps me motivated as a lawyer. I enjoy teaching others about it and opening their eyes to something new and fun. I can't wait to see how fashion law continues to flourish and do my part to help.
The Fashion Law Students
Julie Zerbo is a third year law student and the editor-in-chief of The Fashion Law. Her work has been featured in New York Magazine, the Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Vogue UK, among other publications. She has worked extensively on behalf of the Council of Fashion Designers of America in lobbying for the passage of the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act. She was recently profiled by the Wall Street Journal.
Why I love Fashion Law: I really appreciate the opportunities fashion law has given me to assist emerging designers in building and protecting their brands, as well as being able to have a real effect on whether certain knockoffs are sold or not. In addition to law, I have an economics and international business background and so, first and foremost, I identify with and love these things. For me, the fashion aspect is just an added bonus.
~~~
Virdina M. Gibbs is the
creator of The Sole PurseSuit: A Capsule Collection Between Fashion and the
Law. She attended undergraduate at Duke University and majored in
History and minored in French and Political Science. While in undergrad
Virdina served on the Presidential Committee on Black Affairs where she was
selected to represent the interests of the approximately 600 member Black
community at Duke to top-level administrators.
After undergrad, Virdina
worked at a patent law firm as a Design Patent Prosecution Specialist for two
years where she coordinated design patent filings for multi-national
corporations. She coordinated filing efforts in Europe where she was able
to use her French fluency skills. In law school Virdina has interned with
the United States Patent and Trademark Office in their Office of External
Affairs and was also a Student Attorney with PTO Law School Clinical Program.
She has also worked with a leading trademark attorney and written replies
to Office Actions from the PTO. Virdina also serves as a co-chair of
Fashion Law Week, the first and only nationwide fashion law week.
Virdina hopes to practice
intellectual property law after she graduates from law school.
Why I love Fashion Law: Fashion law allows me to coalesce my love of fashion with my love of intellectual property. Despite the stereotype that people, especially lawyers, who enjoy fashion are vapid and shallow, fashion law is a unique niche within IP law that is vitally important due to the rapid globalization of the fashion industry. I love helping individuals figure out how to best protect their present and future assets.
~~~
Hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Dayton Ohio, Whitney McGuire, the daughter of a jazz singer, found her creative niche early in life. Since then, she has strutted through the musings, short-comings and beauty of life with grace and style. Fashion is less of a hobby and more of a lifestyle for Whitney. She believes in being one hundred percent comfortable with who one is and with how one chooses to portray themselves externally. From studying the law of fashion to providing personal styling and interior decorating consulting to the public, she has acted upon this belief and in turn, she has gained an altruistic outlook on fashion. She also has a passion for helping others and knew that her advocacy skills would be enhanced in law school, hence her decision to become an attorney. She is currently a third year law student at The Catholic University of America – Columbus School of Law. A law student by day and a stylist by night, Whitney has devoted her “free” time to blogging about her first love: fashion and her second love: the law. The two combine quite nicely with the advent of “Fashion Law.”
Why I love Fashion Law: Short answer: Fashion Law saved me. I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but for all intents and purposes of conveying how passionate I am about this field, drama will suffice.
Long Answer: My love for Fashion Law was born out of hatred – for law school. After struggling for 2 years to get into law school, I knew it was something to appreciate, which presently, I definitely do, I just don’t love it. Fashion Law was a beacon of hope (dramatic, I know) that lit my journey down a once dark, uncertain path. Fashion Law allowed me to appreciate the equally dominant creative aspect of my personality, while simultaneously satisfying my insatiable Type-A nerdy appetite. It gave me a foundation upon which to proudly marry my two passions: fashion and advocacy/law. As an emerging field that has gained significant headway over the past four to five years, my proclamations that I was pursuing Fashion Law were often met with confused gazes and blank stares. “What is Fashion Law?” Initially, my responses, were an oil and water combination of excitement and embarrassment. In the blue suit, white shirt, red tie legal field, a Vintage Dior turban wearing, black girl may not fit the traditional “lawyer” image. I felt judged and categorized as someone who was not very serious about the law. “Oh, it’s just Intellectual Property,” I’d reply to add more legal “umph” to my perceived frivolous career path. Now, months later and many Fashion Law credits under my belt, I confidently answer: “Fashion is an industry. There are laws that control it. That’s Fashion Law.” This is an example of why I love this field. I have grown into a more secure version of myself. I love knowing that the concepts I learn in class can easily be applied to an aspect of the Fashion Industry. I also love the fact that all of the experiences I’ve gained during my somewhat crooked path to law school have and will continue to contribute to my prospective success as a fashion lawyer. Two words became the key, which unlocked an unlimited amount of possibilities, all of which are sartorially splendid! I look forward to seeing what I make of it and hope to continue to inspire others to follow their dreams…even in law school.
~~~
~~~
Shana Scott is a second year
law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She is a current
Health Law Fellow in the Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy and
passionate about all areas fashion, science, and law. She has an undergraduate
degree in Biology from Morgan State University and a Masters Degree in Public
Health from Armstrong Atlantic State University. Before entering law school,
she worked as a Policy Consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta, GA.
Why I love Fashion Law: Shana's style is forever changing and
growing. I wear what I feel comfortable in and what looks good on
me. I enjoy clothes and I enjoy looking good. As a law student I am
still learning about the various areas of law and how to "break-into"
fashion. I am not yet an expert on fashion law, fashion, or even law for
that matter but I know a good look when I see it. I am new to the law of
fashion but I am a firm believer in the Coco Chanel quote, "fashion is not
something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street,
fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening".
~~~
We
would be remiss if we didn’t include honorable mentions of these equally busy
legal fashionistas: