What do the fashion designer Tom Ford, the singer Adele, the country of Romania and a lawyer have in common? The use of ethnic designs in the fashion industry raises issues of plagiarism and cultural misappropriation. Can big fashion houses simply copy traditional clothing designs, trademark these designs, and therefore legally protect the copied design? Monica challenges the cultural sustainability of this kind of behavior and proposes new ways for how the fashion industry can become the ambassador of traditional garments instead of the villain in this story.

About Monica Boța-Moisin

Monica Boța-Moisin is an unconventional lawyer. She is the promoter of a legislative initiative in Romania protecting the traditional Romanian blouse, Romanian designs and traditional cultural expressions. Monica has pioneered the terms ‘cultural intellectual property’ and ‘traditional identity design’ within Romanian academia. Currently in Berlin, Monica is focusing on textile management in fashion and fashion law, and inspired by her travels, writes a blog on textile stories and traditional designs aimed at generating cultural sustainability projects.