Hi everyone!
This week we discussed in class the Ted talks. Abigail assigned us to analyze two Ted talks. For this first one, I will be looking at Johanna Blakley's talk about fashion. The title of her Ted talk is called lessons from fashion's free culture.
Johanna starts off with a story about an Italian fashion designer who found a jacket from a little shop in France. She is analyzing and staring at the jacket and while she plans to purchase the jacket, her main objective from purchasing the jacket is to replicate it. The academics in the world may think this is plagiarism, but in fashion- it is genius.
Is this illegal?
No, it is not. In the fashion industry there is very little intellectual property protection. There is only trademark protection. It means that anyone can copy anyone and sell it as their own design- they just cannot copy the trademark logo. That is why some companies blast their logo on their items since it is much harder to copy exactly.
Why?
Long ago the patent offices decided that clothing should not be patented because it is too utilitarian. They did not want designers owning basic blocks of our clothing- but "too utilitarian"- not really. Maybe unnecessary or silly but not too basic.
Argument
Because there is no copy right protection, fashion designers have been able to elevate clothing into something considered art. Because there is not copyright it is very open minded and spurs innovation and growth while also recycling old successful and timeless pieces. The magical side effects of a culture of copying, then there are TRENDS! It is legal for each person to copy one another. If you talk to any designer they say their main inspiration comes from the street and where they get their creative inspiration- making it a both top-down and down-top industry.
When there are lawsuits, they loose more often than winning because the courts say you do not need protection for clothing. Here is a great example of two brands- one the original creation and the second- the knock off.
Makes you think- how do the expensive brands stay in business?! A famous designer said that he found after research that the counterfeit customer is not the high end designer. They are appealing to very different demographic. There is status, brand, titles. Therefore, the copy designer is not taking anything (in terms of customers) from the high-end brand. Because of this, the higher-end become more innovative and different making it harder to copy.
Overall, this was incredibly interesting. I have never thought about it but I often see "cheaper" versions of clothing, accessories, etc. When I go shopping next I will see and compare the different items and see how innovative each item actually is.
Hi Gabrielle!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. The photo you added of the two purses was really helpful - I definitely see this all the time when I'm in China or at random street markets.
Great post Gabrielle. The fashion industry has a very unique set up when it comes to trademarks, copy rights and patents. It works for them, but I don't know if it would work for every industry. Good visuals in your post.
ReplyDeleteHi Gabby! Great post, and very well organized! I like how you mention that, in the fashion industry, there is little intellectual property protection because very little claims are protected. This is exactly Blakely's point and sounds like you understood well!
ReplyDeleteHi Gabby!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your wonderful summary and commentary on this Ted Talk! It is interesting to think about how designers copy off one another to improve products, and how this would be unacceptable in other industries.
Hi Gabby,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post as usual!
The structure was very well organized as was your analysis. You obviously have an interest in the interesting and that passion came out with your words.
Keep up the good work!
Hey Gabby!
ReplyDeleteGreat job with your blog post. Your video was helpful for me to understand your opinions on this Ted Talk!
Thanks
Thanks for your post I found it very interesting. I think you did a great job of touching on Johanna's main points of her ted talk. I also enjoyed the visuals and your video.
ReplyDeleteHi Gabby,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I particularly liked how you segmented your post into very clear sections. Because of this, it was very easy to read. Like you, I also never thought about how i saw cheaper versions of clothing and accessories, which likely copied from higher-end designers. I thought the TED talk was definitely interesting, and will be something I keep in mind next time I go shopping as well!
Best,
Jessica
Gabby,
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis of Blakley's TED Talk. I agree with Jessica that it was refreshing to see such an organized blog post! It seems that this talk really changed your perspective on the fashion industry, and I think you conveyed your thoughts very well! Please keep up the great effort moving forward!
Best,
Anish
Hi Gabby,
ReplyDeleteI also analyzed this Ted Talk and found it incredibly interesting as well. I agree with Johanna when she says that yes- utilitarian objects should not be patented, but artistic ones should be. This makes sense to me since some new fashion is so innovative and deserves recognition. Overall, really enjoyed this post.
Kris Nalla