no faux

I love when my two passions collide- the law and popular culture. Personally, I do not follow Kim Kardashian on any social media. As a woman, I will empower her and acknowledge that she is living her best life and capitalizing off every moment, but she is simply not my flavor. Mrs. Kardashian-West is always trying to make money moves; selling product ranging from appetite suppressant lollipops to protein shakes. If you follow her on Instagram, you might recall a post where she calls out fast fashion labels in her caption saying, “fast fashion brands...please wait until I wear this in real life before you knock it off?” 2-3 hours later, Missguided posted a picture of a similar looking dress, captioning “The devil works hard but Missguided works harder.” 

You know who works hard? High-powered attorneys with $100,000-$500,000 caps seeking to make their client happy. Kardashian is seeking to be 10 million dollars happier.

Kardashian’s counsel initially filed a complaint asking the court to enjoin the fast fashion label from using her likeness and images on their site/Instagram. Kardashian claims “as a direct and proximate result of Missguided’s wrongful conduct, [Kardashian] has suffered and will continue to suffer in an amount to be proven at trial, but in no even less than $10 million.” 

It has been reported that the brand has received the summons, but has yet to respond or appear in court. Without the response of the defendants, the court is able to enter a default judgement. Default judgement is a type of ruling in court where a party involved in the suit has failed to do a court-ordered action, that failure causing the court to favor for the other party (usually the plaintiffs) by default. But, Missguided is able to appeal this. 

The federal court did enter default judgement against Missguided. Now, Kardashian must prove she is owed the damages she asked for. 

This is a very interesting copyright case. I believe that Kardashian should be able to enjoin Missguided for using her likeness without her permission. That is absolutely outrageous and I would sue too. The tricky part will be on the outfits since no one can patent a fabric or style. I am torn. One side of me is so frustrated because designers create masterpieces that can be easily and quickly knocked off without penalty. There really is no way to solve this problem without creating new ones.  My other side is excited because this is an incentive for designers to keep challenging themselves to come up with the next greatest piece, simultaneously competing with each other. That sounds a little capitalistic, which makes me cringe a little. 

I guess we shall see if Missguided complies or appeals.

Also, in my previous fast fashion post, I speculated that Kardashian-West could be in cahoots with these labels. From the articles I read, she denies that she is. She hasn’t called out any other labels except Missguided, so maybe other labels are actually paying her? 

In the 90s, fashion designers felt the pressure to increase product line, revenue, and other ways to market since up-and-coming department stores were taking all the customers due to their large selection and lower prices. Thus, fast fashion was born. Fast fashion is a term where “designers” (more like plagiarists) quickly recreate what was seen during fashion week into the hands of consumers cheaply and quickly. I am sure you have all heard about Fashionnova, and their ability to churn out a product within a DAY!!! Kim Kardashion (who is speculated to actually be working with the brands that she says ‘copy’ her), has voiced her opinion on how she wears a dress and within the next day, fast fashion retailers already have it up on their site. This is an entire supply-demand business that focuses on the hottest trends. While it is nice that consumers are able to wear catwalk-similiar clothing at a fraction of the cost, who is really bearing the cost for the cheap clothes? While we save, others peril. Examples of fast fashion retailers are ASOS, H&M, Zara, Topshop, Cotton On, Forever 21, Gap, Inc., Missguided, Zaful, SheIn, PrettyLittleThing, Romwe, Boohoo, and many more. While they have found an incredible marketing strategy and ways to make money, here are some important things to keep in mind next time you buy a Forever 21 shirt that says “I love pizza and smack my butt”. 

“We are increasingly disconnected from the people who make our clothing as 97% of items you’re overseas. There are roughly 40 million garment workers in the world today; many of whom do not share the same rights or protections that many people in the West do. They are some of the lowest paid workers in the world and roughly 85% of all garment workers are women.” – The True Cost

“Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to make the world’s polyester fiber, which is now the most commonly used fiber in our clothing. But it takes more than 200 years to decompose.” – Forbes

“Nine out of ten workers interviewed in Bangladesh cannot afford enough food for themselves and their families, forcing them to regularly skip meals and eat inadequately, or go into debt.” – Oxfam Made in Poverty Report

“Fast fashion companies design clothes that fall apart quickly. They pursue a strategy called ‘Planned obsolescence’. This means to design garments to become unfashionable, wear out, lose shape or fall to pieces easily to force consumers to keep buying new clothes.” – Be Global Fashion Network

“In 2017 it was revealed that fashion behemoth H&M — which has made much of its green agenda with recycling points in stores and what it calls a Conscious Collection — burned about 19 tons of obsolete clothing (the equivalent to 50,000 pairs of jeans).” – Huffington Post

“250,000 Indian cotton farmers have killed themselves in the last 15 years due to the stress of debt they accumulated through buying genetically modified cotton seeds to keep up with demand.” – The True Cost

“The fashion industry is designed to make you feel “out of trend” after one week. Once upon a time, there were two fashion seasons: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. Fast forward to 2014 and the fashion industry is churning out 52 “micro-seasons” per year. With new trends coming out every week, the goal of fast fashion is for consumers to buy as many garments as possible, as quickly as possible.” – Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

What a WEEK in fashion! On February 19, 2019, the world lost fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld. After battling pancreatic cancer, the Chanel creative director passed away aged 85 in Paris. Most famous for reviving the once dead Chanel brand in the eighties to a billion dollar fashion empire in the following decade. Alongside the Italian house Fendi, Lagerfeld transformed the brands and is credited for their successes, as well as the French brand Chloe. 90s Chanel runway is one of the most iconic times and designs the industry has ever scene. Lagerfeld had the perfect luck being able to work with the most beautiful and iconic models like Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and Linda Evangelista. His ability to put on a show with the most beautiful designs is something designers will now have to strive for. 

This man’s achievements are truly unmatched and will be remembered forever. What others seem to forget is his wits and his acid-tongue. Here are some of his lesser known quotes.

in 2012 when serving as guest editor for magazine Metro, he was asked for his thoughts on Lana Del Rey. “I prefer Adele and Florence Welch. But as a modern signer she is not bad. The thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat, but she as a beautiful and divine voice” he said.

On Coco Chanel: “She was ‘never a feminist’ because she was never ugly enough for that.”

On Pippa Middleton, he said “Kate Middleton has a nice silhouette and she is the right girl for that boy. I like that kind of woman, I like romantic beauties. On the other hand. her sister struggles. I don’t like the sister’s face. She should only show her back.” 

His take on beauty was: “Life is not a beauty contest, some [ugly people] are great. What I hate is nasty, ugly people...the worst is ugly, short men. Women can be short, but for men it is impossible. It is something that they will not forgive in life...they are mean and they want to kill you.”

Karl was definitely not shy when giving his opinion. His honest and brutal opinions could be the driving force that led the brands under his wings to success, but at the cost of many women and men’s self esteem! 

We remember Karl and the legacy he has left. I also want to remember his problematic comments and views... He was so rude but I also am sad to admit you need to be like that to survive in these industries. He was a Virgo sign, Gemini Moon...meaning I kinda wish I was his friend but I would not want to be his enemy!!! He is messsy. We miss him, but maybe he should’ve kept most of his comments to himself. 

I go by AK. My passion for fashion began when I was about 8 years old and enrolled in Catholic school. Required to wear plaid skirts and collared shirts, no individuality was to be expressed during school. About once a month, the school would host a party at the local roller rink and that is where we got to flex on each other. My parents never picked me up from school on time, so one Thursday (a party night) when I was stranded, I got a ride from a friend and she let me borrow some clothes. When I got to the party, I approached my “friends” who looked me up and down and said, “I’m sorry, you’re not wearing Abercrombie & Fitch so you can’t hang out with us.” I called my mom begging her to bring my hot pink Abercrombie shirt with the matching floral skirt. She said I didn’t need the outfit and didn’t come. I learned two things. 1) those girls were really rude. 2) I would vow to be the best dressed person for the rest of my life. My college budget cannot afford my style at the moment, but I can appreciate it till the day comes!!!

  This blog is going to be reporting on fashion news such as the dangers behind fast fashion, street-style vs. runway, plagiarism among designers, trademark & copyright conflict in the fashion world, and my favorite- appreciation for the most iconic designs and shows. I will explore how brands contract with influencers to advertise their product on social media sites like Instagram (and the legalities behind it). I also want to study following trends and will report on the strategies used to build a following.