Fashion, Apparel & Beauty

Overview

Internationally famed denim houses and trend-setting retail boutiques are just part of Southern California’s storied fashion profile.

Fashion and affiliated apparel and beauty industries play an increasingly influential part in Southern California’s economy. Abundant creative energy and close relationships with the entertainment industry are among the forces that have turned Los Angeles into an incubator for design talent and a high-value retail destination.

Greenberg Glusker’s Fashion, Apparel & Beauty Group represents emerging and established fashion designers, brands, retailers and entrepreneurs shaping the West’s fashion map.

Known for a 50-year track record in protecting the rights, ideas, designs and artistic output of some of the world’s most creative people in movies,television, music and the media, Greenberg Glusker attorneys counsel across a full range of legal business issues for fashion, apparel and beauty professionals.

Complete Fashion Law Counsel
Because Greenberg Glusker is a full-service law firm, clients gain the convenience of a depth of resources under a single roof.

Our attorneys, several of whom proudly wear the fashionista label, have served as experts in jewelry design cases, assisted an international fashion branding company gain a toehold in the U.S., and regularly weigh in on controversial IP and design issues. Areas of counsel that our Fashion Law Group advises fashion professionals on include:

Intellectual Property Protection
Advise and counsel on critical “soft” IP protections including trademark, trade dress and copyright protection for designs and brands, with a view toward monetizing valuable assets. Should IP infringements occur, Greenberg Glusker’s renowned IP litigation team can assertively enforce IP protections to safeguard business operations.

Licensing Agreements
Draft, negotiate and structure license agreements for clothing lines, accessories, jewelry and beauty products for high-profile fashion companies and individuals.

Corporate, Finance and Tax
Guide clients on entity formations, acquisitions, funding and finance agreements, tax issues, mergers,and strategic trade and partnership agreements.

Labor and Employment
Assist employers in managing compliance with California’s unique and often complex regulations, including in wage and hour issues.

Real Estate
Negotiate sales and leases for retail operations.

Representative Matters

Corporate

  • Represent Forever 21 and an apparel manufacturer in litigation
  • Represented 7 For All Mankind in sale to VF, which included more than $100 million in financing
  • Helped Chorus Line obtain private equity financing
  • Assisted in sale of children’s clothing, bed, and accessories company to private equity group
  • Assisted in sale of closely held denim company from one partner to another
  • Represented company that licensed sports caps in its nearly $100 million sale to Nike
  • Helped one of the world’s largest watch companies, with more than $252 billion in revenue, analyze whether its watches are considered jewelry which is governed by laws regulating lead and other metal content of the product
  • Represent handbag company in corporate matters
  • Provide corporate counsel on entity formation and raising capital to Forrest & Bob, a Danish clothing company
  • Corporate restructuring for Tadashi Shoji
  • Terms of sale, factoring agreements, and formation and documentation of investment for Frame Denim 

Intellectual Property - Trademark, Copyright, Trade Dress

  • Represent one of the world’s largest designers and manufacturers of wedding dresses in connection with claims of trademark and copyright infringement as well as unauthorized distribution of the client’s goods through discounted Internet sales
  • Represented national apparel retailer in a trade dress and patent design infringement suit commenced by Deckers over the design of the Ugg sweater boot
  • Litigate up to the Supreme Court on behalf of retailer Costco in a copyright infringement case against Omega Watch Co.
  • Counsel clothing brand and retailer Affliction on licensing agreements and represent its interests in a licensing dispute
  • Represents various clothing and jewelry designers in registration of trademarks
  • Advised premier luxury jean company in licensing trademark for back pocket logo
  • Defended a fashion-humanitarian brand in contract, unfair competition and trademark infringement suit initiated by by former licensee
  • Performed trademark infringement analysis for leading international fashion brand

Retail/Marketing/Real Estate

  • Represented multi-unit and online clothing retailer clothing in copyright infringement and fashion design litigation, consumer class action, and real estate issues
  • Advised and counseled major multimillion-dollar T-shirt company in restructuring and sale
  • Represent an English company that specializes in creating marketing and branding strategies in the fashion industry
  • Represent the owner of the largest vintage haute couture collection in the U.S.
  • Negotiated agreements on behalf of the Beverly Center and Del Amo shopping center in leasing retail space to stores
  • Represented numerous designers/shops in renting retail space

Licensing/Celebrity

  • Negotiated licensing agreements and distribution agreements for 7 For All Mankind
  • Counsel to Scott Vincent Borba of Borba Inc. for personal and corporate matters involving trademark/IP licensing of skin care products, reality show and book deal
  • Represented actor Jane Seymour in launching her successful lines of jewelry and clothing
  • Represent Elite Model Management in licensing contract dispute
  • Represent world famous blogger Mr. Kate in launching jewelry line
  • Provided counsel on licensing agreements to designers of one of the largest and widely known swimsuit and surf apparel brands