Senator Kirsten Gillibrand with supporters of the FABRIC Act.
California Senator Alex Padilla has signed on as a cosponsor of the FABRIC Act, initially put forth by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in May. The bill seeks to end wage theft in the fashion industry by making the piece-rate model illegal nationwide. It also includes a tax credit for brands seeking to reshore their manufacturing in the United States, and a grant program for those looking to update their facilities. Padilla’s support is important because the majority of garment manufacturing in the United States takes place in Los Angeles, a big part of his constituency. Other cosponsors of the bill are Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders. Right now, the FABRIC Act is with the Senate Finance Committee and according to congress.gov, the text has been reviewed twice.
Via Getty
Hailey Bieber’s new skincare line, Rhode (named after her own middle name) launched last week. But among the fun skincare routine YouTube videos and great reviews was a lawsuit several years in the making. Fashion brand RHODE, which was founded in 2014 by Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers, announced that they were suing Bieber for copyright infringement. “Today, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Hailey Bieber and her skin-care line that
launched last week and that is using the brand name ‘rhode,’” the designers wrote in a joint statement. “We didn’t want to file this lawsuit, but we had to in order to protect our business. While a global brand, we are still a young and growing company, and we cannot overcome a celebrity with Hailey’s following using our company’s name to sell related products.” The pair also claims that Bieber’s team had reached out in an attempt to buy the name several years ago but the brand declined.
The lawsuit itself echoes the above sentiment. “The magnitude of Bieber’s following and the virality of her marketing will cause immediate, ongoing and irreparable harm to the RHODE brand,” it reads. “And the hardships and public interest weigh overwhelmingly in favor of protecting the nine-year investment of two upstart entrepreneurs over the latest mega-venture by a mega-star.”
According to Fashion Law, there is precedence for this case because people do not have an “unfettered right to use their personal names for commercial purposes.” At this time, Bieber and her team have not responded publicly to the lawsuit.
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