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.” 

Cuyana, the buzzy womenswear brand, known for its “buy less but buy better” ethos is not only cultivating a dedicated following for its fast-growing premium essential garments and accessories brand. In announcing its latest round of funding, the San Francisco-based brand – which was founded in 2011 by Karla Gallardo, a former Goldman Sachs and Apple Inc. analyst, and Shilpa Shah, fresh from a stint with interactive entertainment company Kabam – is making headlines. 

"The devil works hard but Missguided works harder.” That was the message that the Manchester-headquartered retailer sent in an Instagram caption late last week alongside a metallic cut-out frock, a dead-ringer for a custom Yeezy one that Kim Kardashian posted an image of just a few hours prior. Curiously enough, Kardashian’s own Instagram post included a plea: “Fast fashion brands, can you please wait until I wear this in real life before you knock it off?” 

The most exciting aspect of the fashion industry at the moment is not on the runway, or on brands’ increasingly high-activity, often collaboration-spotlighting Instagram accounts. It is certainly not at the original point-of-sale for most luxury branded wares, nor can it be found in the high-powered creative director and branding switch-a-roos often underway in the upper echelon of the industry. The hottest developments in fashion are a step removed: they are at resale. That is where a growing string of acquisitions and significant fund raising, is underway, at least. 

An enormous number of flowers go into each and every bottle of Chanel No. 5, the world-famous fragrance that the Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, the founder of Chanel, created and released in the early 1920’s with the help of master perfumer, Ernest Beaux. There is more that goes into the making – and maintaining – of the house’s collection of perfumes than their precious ingredients of Pégomas jasmine flowers and Pégomas roses, though.