1. Understanding Couture and Considerations for Legal Protection
2. Broader Considerations: The Wider Intellectual Property Law Framework, in response to Couture as Art
3. ‘Couture,’ an Artistic Work?
4. Copyright for Couture
5. The Functionality Doctrine Rationale
6. Copyright Legal Systems: Global Appreciation
7. The Threshold for Copyright
Conclusion
Biography
Tomruk Űstűnkaya is Associate Lecturer at the University of Surrey. Her academic pursuits over several years continue to cover core law subjects, in addition to intellectual property law. Tomruk has published a range of articles in peer-reviewed law journals, examining topics such as fashion law, law and technology (specifically 3D printing), and cultural property. This book is a fusion of her arts/fashion and legal background, culminating in a study which explores the relationship between the two.
Tomruk engages the reader in a narrative that is contextually rich, guiding the audience through a journey, signposted by the lived experiences of Couturiers that have shaped global culture. As a Practising Couturier, I find her investigation as captivating, questioning the copyright laws which underpin the definition of artistic work, in consideration of couture. The analysis compels a progressive unsettling, questioning the challenges of a closed list to a craft which at the highest level, produces artefacts. These visual timestamps mark the evolution of fashion history. The collective contribution of the design process, crafts people, and hand production give birth to a living breathing organism, a Couture garment. When married with innovation, it is a critique, reflection and response to society and a vision into the future.
Joshua Masih, Senior Lecturer, UAL, London College of Fashion
