Friends, I imagine getting a call from an attorney on a Friday afternoon is not something that sounds extremely exciting, but this past Friday it certainly was. As was on my way out of town for the weekend, my attorney Brad Carrick called to let me know that he had just received a package from the USPTO and that, our application for a design patent for my side-laced dress had been granted!
About two years ago, I started working on a special element of my designs featuring lacing on the sides, which could be used on a dress, tunic, shirt, or a jacket of any style. More than just a design element, the lacing makes the garment flexible and functional in terms of sizing. A size 12 or 14 garment with this lacing can be the same garment as a size 0.
I knew that this design element would make a difference for many women. Personally, I've had countless times when I would go shopping and find a dress that I liked, but was disappointed when the dress was slightly too big, or slightly too small, or just didn't sit right in certain areas, be it chest, hips, waist etc. To avoid this problem, I worked in lacing on the sides of my designs, which provides more room for the chest and the hips and can also be loosened or tightened in the waist area as well as adjusted in the chest the hips areas if needed. Not only does this fit different body types of different women, it can adjust to the changes and variations over time that we women experience with our own bodies.
I first used this design element in my Signature collection, integrating it with the most popular designs and prints from past collections I created. I got a great response for this, and it became a staple of my look. The Signature Collection was presented in fashion weeks in United States and Europe including Paris, New York, San Francisco, LA, Monaco, and Cannes.
My friend and attorney Brad Carrick has always been there by my side through ups and downs in my career and always supports me. He has helped me protect different parts of intellectual property using copyrights and trademarks. In fashion, it can be notoriously hard to protect designs, and I have experienced designers copying my ideas and work. When I asked Brad if this design element could be protected he suggested that he could help me apply for a design patent. I didn't know this was possible but he believed, and we gave it a try. It is a long process, but what a satisfying result! (You can read more about design patents and how they can help in Brad's Fashion InJunction article here.)
Here are some examples of the patented design. Look out for this patented design to be a unique, featured element in my upcoming collections. I hope it can also become an element of your next favorite piece in your wardrobe! :)
Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?
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