Forever 21 is taking a page from thier fast-fashion counterparts like H&M and is launching it's first designer collaboration.
First up on thier roster is LA designer Brian Lichtenberg. Though this name may not ring a bell, his recent claim to fame is designing Lady Gaga's caution tape "outfit" for her Telephone video and her geometric necklace in the "Poker Face" video.
So has the knock-off retailer finally had enough lawsuits to decide that giving some cash to designers is a better business practice?
Forever 21 has definitley seen its share of designer names (and even other retailers) linked to its own, but in court. Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, Trovata, Anthropologie, Bebe, Gwen Stefani for Harajuku Lovers, Express, and the list goes on.
Though, with only settlements in these cases and never any clear "wins" for the plantiffs, will a designer collaboration actually bring in enough money for the chain whose entire being is based quickly produced runway "inspiration"? The answer is not black and white.
Milord A. Keshishian who practices law with a focus on intellectual property rights at Milord & Associates, PC in Los Angeles says "It’s difficult to ascertain the court costs and the amount of settlement because they’re usually confidential and the court costs and settlement sums may be covered by insurance. So there may actually be no actual costs, other than increased insurance premiums."
However, this doesn't mean that designers can never win in the seemingly never ending brigade of lawsuits against Forever 21. Keshishian continues "Although copyrights do not currently protect the design as a whole (or design construction), most designers are unaware that their garment, shoe, and accessories can be protected by design patents. For example,True Religion has patented its stitch design on pants."
Though, will a connection to a rising fashion designer and a larger than life celebrity like Lady Gaga stop the chain from growing and growing like some sort of killer blob, rolling over the cities and towns, slurping up designer fashions and spitting out millions of cheaper, ill-constructed clones?
This remains to be seen until Lichtenberg's creations hit the racks (or rather the floor, if you've ever been in a NYC Forever 21) on August 13th at the retailer's top selling stores.
