Fashion Business Club

Why Lessons In Design Protection Can Be Sweet As…

Who would of guessed that our meeting on trademarks and design protection would be the sweetest of all? FBCers were welcomed to the home of Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP with tea, coffee and treats before Temperley London’s Senior Advisor, Louise Hetherington, talked us through the world of intellectual property rights in the fashion industry.

In an age where designer knock-offs are all over the high street, there has never been more reason to ensure that your designs are protected. Of course your design must have a unique look of its own and not itself be an over-inspired version of a key look from the catwalk. But how do you go about protecting your designs and is it going to cost you an arm and a leg…or even your head? Nothing so extreme it would seem and there are indeed ways you can have protection without spending a penny.

Firstly there is the good old copyright symbol, © anyone is free to use the symbol on design work to protect designs without registration. Don’t forget to also date your drawings as you must be able to prove that copyright has been breached should any issues arise. Copyright lasts for the authors life plus seventy years. Trademarks also have limited protection without registration. Again, anyone is free to use the trademark symbol â„¢ with their logo but to fully ensure that your trademark is protected, registration is recommended.

Registration is the way to go if you want complete peace of mind, and RPC have a wealth of experience in advising and acting on behalf of companies such as Condé Nast, Google and Tesco. Further information can also be found at:

• UK Intellectual Property Office
• Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM)
• World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)

Back to our FBC meeting, we thought it was all over when the talk was through and the tea and nibbles depleted. But no! We were schmoozed through to another room to network and were greeted with the delightful sight of tiered cake racks full of treats. Can we please come again? My mind has gone blank and I think we FBCers need to go over a few points..

Illustrator, Daisy de Villeneuve; Alison Lewy Commercial Director of the Fashion and Textile Museum; Draper’s Editor, Lauretta Roberts; FBC Chairman, Alison Whelan

Sarah Hardy Editor

A fashionable clash of jet black and bright pink collided last Thursday evening at the private opening of the LBD exhibition at the Fashion Textile Museum. Erin O’Connor sported a specially designed dress for the occassion courtesy of Zandra Rhodes.

Jens Laugesen and Alison Whelan

Jens Laugesen and Hannah Marshall chatted tailoring techniques and timetables, whilst our own Courtney Blackman worked the room to meet and greet the entire British Fashion Council team who turned up in abundance to support the event.

Zandra Rhodes and Courtney Blackman

The LBD show is the first in a new schedule of events from Alison Lewy and her team. Exhibition runs Fri 20 June to Mon 25 August. For more information see the Fashion and Textile Museum website.

The Rise and Falls of Daisy de Villeneuve

It was with great pleasure that FBCers welcomed Daisy de Villeneuve to the March meeting at the Fakhreldine restaurant on Piccadilly. Stunning views of Green Park were the perfect back-drop to our bimonthly fashion business networking. It was all eyes on Daisy however, as she told the story of her career as a designer and illustrator.

Refreshingly frank and down-to-earth, the successful illustrator was happy to share her experiences with the group, good and bad. Daisy’s work first caught the eye of two publishers when she exhibited the work from her graduation show at the Euphoria boutique in London. The now famous felt-tip pen illustrations of faces were published in her book, ‘I Told You So’, and later reproduced in America under the title ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’. Drawn by hand, the brightly coloured faces are accompanied by a story of relationships told to the reader in the style of frank, chatty banter with a close friend. Later came the book ‘He Said, She Said’. A similar style and format that has been a hit with companies such as Topshop who first commissioned Daisy to illustrate a line of shoeboxes. Then came t-shirts, bags, hot water bottles…

“I thought it would be funny to make a career out of [using] felt-tip pens.” Said Daisy.

“So where were the falls?” you may ask. Publishers switching contracts, useless management, unique exhibits being thrown out with the rubbish, high street rip-offs… All have driven Daisy to be much more shrewd and responsible with her business dealings. Now the designer counts Moet & Chandon, the V&A and Boots among her clients, and with new designs for Habitat’s VIP range launching in August I think we can say that Daisy is one star strictly on the ascent!

Sarah Hardy Editor