En Vogue: The Risks of Brexit to the European Fashion Industry

Abstract

Coco Channel, Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace, and Thomas Burberry, all iconic names that are synonymous with fashion and the fashion industry. Further, they are all European designers. From Paris Fashion Week to Milan Fashion Week, Europe is arguably the center of emerging fashion. It can be theorized that the reason for strong intellectual property rights within the European Union (EU), in the area of fashion design, is due to the significance of the fashion industry within Europe. Within the EU, there has long been a recognition of the significance of design protection, which sets its IP protection apart from other places in the world. Several of the protections that the EU has implemented can be traced back historically to attempts by the countries in the region to protect their textile markets, and to protect regional innovations which were being developed within early textile industries. Even in the early stages of the EU's history, there were attempts to create uniformity within the area of design. The desire to create uniformity in this area is continuous, but Brexit threatens a path towards uniformity.