Taking ownership – blockchain based intellectual property and Fashion Designers

In this video Eleanor Rockett investigates the integration of blockchain at the design stage of garment manufacture and the positive effects its application can garner. The research links technology, legal regulation of technology and the development of fashion design assuring the protection of the work developed by Designers, who might pick up the option of becoming entrepreneurs. The research was carried out in the UK in collaboration with technology start-ups and Fashion Designers. The designers who collaborated in this research were able to foresee the rewards of improved IP protection and management, but some demonstrated concern for the actual integration of blockchain into existing design and development processes. As such, this research revealed two things: firstly, a clear need for blockchain to be shown as an adaptable technology which can seamlessly integrate into pre-existing design structures; and a further need for a simple implementation strategy which can be offered to designers working in the fashion industry.
A more complete version of this research is part of the book of Proceedings of the Global Fashion Conference 2023 – Fashion for the Common Good, published by Palgrave/Springer.