More women in the U.S. are innovating in the fields of science, engineering, and entrepreneurship, but that might not be obvious from the numbers of utility patent protection being granted for novel inventions and design patent issued for the visual ornamental characteristics of a product. According to a newly-released report from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) that examines trends and characteristics of inventors named on U.S. patents granted between 1976 and 2016, the USPTO found that women continue to be under-represented. 

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” That is one the tenets at the core of what a young woman named Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was doing when she set out in the early 1900’s to make hats, and then ready-to-wear for women. At the time, much of the French fashion landscape was dominated by restrictive corsets, frilly, puffed blouses, and fluted skirts, i.e., largely impractical, often uncomfortable, and uniformly pocket-less, day wear and over-the-top evening wear for women. Mademoiselle Chanel envisioned something else, something that more carefully considered the needs and desires of its wearers, women. 

“The True Story of When Louis Vuitton Sued Supreme,” reads a headline from a major menswear site, timed perfectly to run when the 185-year old luxury brand debuted a collaboration with Supreme last year. “Gucci Sued Dapper Dan Out of Business” is the original title of a recently-published (and since corrected) article from another mainstream media outlet. These are two of the “lawsuits” that fashion has had a field day referencing in connection with the ever-mounting rise of New York-based Supreme, and Gucci's highly-anticipated partnership with Harlem fashion legend, Dapper Dan. In reality, however, neither of those lawsuits ever actually happened.

Karl Lagerfeld, one of most legendary and instantly recognizable figures in fashion, died in Paris at age 85. Chanel confirmed the news on Tuesday. The German designer, who was the longtime creative director for Paris-based Chanel and womenswear director for Italian design house Fendi, was one of the industry's most influential – and at times, outspoken – figures. 

Federal law in the U.S. fiercely protects against discrimination. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, for instance, prohibits discrimination by covered employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in places that are open to the general public. Across the country, states have adopted laws of their own, providing protection against discrimination based on various factors. Yet, even with sweeping legislation in place, one thing, in particular, routinely gives rise to inequity: hair.  

One way to build a luxury shoe brand? Paint the soles a single color, position them among the likes of world-famous figures on red carpets, in fashion editorials, and on the bi-annual fashion month runways, and then wait for demand to skyrocket. This is the tactic that Christian Louboutin adopted back in 1991 and as a result of which, the French footwear company has sold more than 1 million pairs of its $700+ heels, sneakers, and flats, all of which bear a distinctive lacquered Chinese red sole. 

It was not all that long ago that Beyoncé and Jay-Z made headlines when they looked to the law to protect their children’s names. You may recall that the music industry power couple sought to register their eldest daughter Blue Ivy Carter’s name as a trademark in the U.S. (and then internationally) in early 2012. Several years later, they tried again: this time applying to register “Blue Ivy Carter” for use on everything from fragrances, skincare products, clothing and handbags to entertainment services, CDs and DVDs, and online retail services, plus the names of their newborn twins Sir Carter and Rumi Carter, as well.

Much has been made of blockchain, and how it can be applied in fashion. As revealed in a recent TFL article, this distributed, decentralized, public ledger technology could stand to make a significant impact in terms of boosting supply chain transparency (both for brands and consumers), as well as assist in cutting down on the unintentional purchase of counterfeit goods, which has become a topic of continued conversation in connection with luxury resale. But beyond those very obvious uses of this type of technology, there is something else, something that brands may – or may not – opt to use it for: policing the gray market. 

When most people hear the word blockchain, they tend to think of Bitcoin, the decentralized virtual currency that has risen in value exponentially over the past few years. While blockchain technology is best known for supporting virtual payments and other financial applications, other uses are rapidly being developed across every sector of the economy, and fashion figures are beginning to discover that the possibilities presented by blockchain could serve to addressing some of the industry’s most pressing issues – from supply chain mismanagement to counterfeiting. 

Amazon is not the only company currently being sued over its private label endeavors. Scentbird is, too. Following a behind-the-scenes fight that has been developing over the past several months, the budding beauty and fragrance subscription service has been slapped with a strongly-worded lawsuit by beauty and skincare brand Lush, which alleges that the nearly 4-year old Scentbird is infringing its trademark “deliberately, willfully, intentionally, and in bad faith.”