Designer "inspired" items

[Halifamous]

the other issue is availability. what if i want a RO jacket from S/S05, but couldn't track one down for the life of me?

This is a non-issue. Scarcity of items due to limited production runs and one-off creations every year have always been part of the appeal of fashion.

[Fookums]

That depends.

Personally, I follow fashion because I'm trying to develop my own style, and I want to pick and choose certain pieces to incorporate into it. If you dress for style, rather than for exclusivity [extremes, just using 'em for the sake of the argument], then availability is definitely an issue, as you'd want an article of clothing because it matches your style, rather than "oh I got this because it's rare".

Following this train of thought: Cottons "parable" of John and Pete doesn't apply to clothing/fashion IMO, along with any other trademark/copyright/etc. debate as fashion is a *wearable* art form. The piece of clothing, while beautiful, isn't really anything until it's put on a body. And the entire design/idea behind the piece is only put into its actual nature when worn. Thus, while you're taking an inspired piece and incorporating it into your wardrobe, it's the final result [the WAYWT in this environment] that's the actual "idea" of fashion/style.

Uh, to summarize: It's not art when it's inanimate, it becomes art when it's worn in conjunction with other pieces in a conscious manner. Thus, an idea behind a design can't be stolen per say.

.. Yeah.

edit: Why isn't this in SuperFashion yet?

edit 2: Also, I'm still waiting for someone who's against "inspired" clothing, i.e. Black Scissors, H&M, etc. defend Self Edge and their Dior inspired collabs.

[landho]

Also keep in mind that people's sensibilities seem to become more and more offended as the imitation asymptotes toward the original, i.e., the more similar a piece is to the original, the more people (seem to) freak out.

For example, nobody gives a damn about the shoes below (inspired by Puma) because they're so laughably bad.

This seems to suggest that there is a certain art in forgery.

[masuerte]

I'm glad we moved away from simple parables and such now... It would be awesome if this thread moved past wikipedia and into reading actual academic journal articles specific to fashion and design.

So that this thread gets elevated from supertrash to superfashion.

[polishmike]

I'm glad we moved away from simple parables and such now... It would be awesome if this thread moved past wikipedia and into reading actual academic journal articles specific to fashion and design.

So that this thread gets elevated from supertrash to superfashion.

Here is a good one if someone really wants to put in some time. Great look at the fashion industry from the perspective of other intelectual property rights. Even has some pictures of not so fashionable fashion.

"The Piracy Paradox: Innovation and Intellectual Property in Fashion Design" by KAL RAUSTIALA University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law and CHRIS SPRIGMAN University of Virginia - School of Law.

Warning around 100 pages, you have to download it in pdf but it's a pretty good paper published in few law journals.

[M4TM]

i only have issues when the bootleggers try to pass their stuff off as genuine.

[mrip]

[thejjbb]

I love how the article about why it's okay to steal ideas qoutes Thomas Edison

That could scarcely be more fitting.

[High Monika]

The New Yorker did a brief article on "fashion piracy" a while back that I bookmarked.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2007/09/24/070924ta_talk_surowiecki

It mentions that article listed by PolishMike.

[BlackScissors]

Bollax...................................