Acceso + International Master in Fashion Law
Program director:
Campus:
Barcelona
Date:
October 2025 – October 2026
LANGUAGE:
Spanish, English
ACADEMIC STAY:
Academic stay in Milan
Your legal vision of the fashion world starts here.
The Access Course to the International Master in Fashion Law at ISDE offers you an introductory and strategic education designed to help you understand the legal foundations governing the global fashion, luxury, and cosmetics industries. This program prepares you to take the next step toward the main master’s degree, equipping you with the conceptual and practical tools required —such as intellectual property applied to design, digital law in the sector, and compliance principles— within a creative, dynamic, and constantly evolving environment.
Taught by professionals with industry experience and a practical understanding of the fashion business, this course will allow you to develop key skills —including drafting and negotiating specialized contracts, conducting legal analysis of the fashion ecosystem, and applying a strategic business approach— that are essential to stand out in an industry that combines creativity, innovation, and legal regulation. Thanks to this training, you will be ready to move forward with confidence toward the International Master in Fashion Law, supported by ISDE’s academic excellence and its network of active professionals.
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Introduction and objectives
The International Master in Fashion Law at ISDE is a pioneering and specialized program that combines an in-depth study of Law with a practical understanding of the fashion, luxury, and cosmetics business. Designed to provide a global and interdisciplinary education, this master’s degree prepares legal and business professionals to face the legal and strategic challenges of a dynamic, creative, and constantly evolving industry.
The objectives of the program are:
- To provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal framework governing the fashion sector, including intellectual property, digital law, sustainability, and compliance.
- To develop practical skills in drafting, negotiating, and managing sector-specific contracts.
- To foster a business-oriented and strategic mindset from a legal perspective.
- To offer an international academic and professional experience, including a study stay in Milan with leading institutions in the sector.
- To connect students with a faculty composed of professionals from leading firms, brands, and companies.
Sponsor
Structure, location and calendar
The master’s program is structured into 8 thematic modules covering key areas such as Fashion Law, Intellectual Property, Corporate Law, Criminal Law, Digital Law, ESG, Cosmetics, and Labor Law. Each module has a specific assessment and its corresponding weight in the final grade.
- Program start: October 20, 2025
- End of academic phase: April 10, 2026
- International academic stay: Week of April 13, 2026 in Milan
- Total duration: October 2025 – April 2026
- Schedule: Monday to Thursday from 15:00 to 18:30
- Format: On-campus, streaming, and online
- Location: ISDE – Barcelona Campus
The academic stay includes training sessions at the offices of Bonelli Erede, a prestigious Italian law firm specialized in corporate law, as well as organized visits to leading companies such as Gucci and other institutions within Milan’s fashion ecosystem.
Career Opportunities
Students of the International Master in Fashion Law will be prepared to perform legal and strategic roles across multiple areas within the fashion, luxury, cosmetics, and retail technology sectors. Career opportunities include:
- Lawyer specialized in fashion law or intellectual property
- In-house legal advisor in fashion, beauty, or luxury companies
- Compliance officer
- Expert in sustainability and ESG applied to creative companies
- Legal counsel in e-commerce and digital retail
- Legal consultant for technology platforms linked to fashion
- Professional in law firms specialized in corporate, labor, criminal, or digital law, with a focus on creative industries
Additionally, the program includes professional internships that facilitate direct entry into companies within the sector and leading law firms.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
The program is divided into 8 thematic modules, each with a specific weight in the final grade. At the end of each module, an assessment test is carried out.
1. An in-house perspective
- Introduction to fashion law
- The role of the in-house lawyer in a fashion house
- Negotiating and drafting contracts in the fashion industry
- Relationship between in-house counsel and external advisor: the need for an expert in the field of fashion law
- Marketing in the field of fashion: a legal perspective
- How to start a business in the fashion industry
- Sector-specific expertise: luxury, sports goods, bridal fashion, etc.
2. Cosmetics
- General regulatory framework for cosmetics
- From concept to market: the roadmap for cosmetic products (legal and contractual lifecycle of a cosmetic product)
- Selective distribution systems in the cosmetics industry
- Self-regulation and industry codes of conduct
- Claims, advertising, and digital marketing in cosmetics
- Misleading advertising issues
- Intellectual property and brand protection
- Sustainability, environmental compliance, and CSR
3. Corporate law
M&A; financing and investment contracts in fashion
- Bank financing
- Direct funding
- Venture capital
- The strategic investor
- EXIT and CRISIS
- a) The exit of the founder/investor
- The value of the company
- The investor and their exit
- The founder and their continuity
- Sale to a third party
- b) Company crisis
- Asset protection
- Reputation protection
- Continuity
- The sale of the production unit
- Winding-up
- a) The exit of the founder/investor
- Contractual law in fashion law (FL)
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- Advertising, marketing, and sponsorship contracts in fashion
- Influencers and relationships with influencers
- Outsourcing
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- EXIT and CRISIS
- International contracts in the field of fashion
- Distribution strategies and structures: agency contracts, distribution, franchising, selective distribution, retail, and own stores
- Real estate in fashion
- Competition law in fashion
- Compliance and corporate social responsibility in fashion
- Taxation in fashion
- Litigation in fashion
4. Intellectual Property
- General introduction to IP
- Trademarks I: scope and acquisition of trademark rights. The path from choosing a sign to obtaining registration
- Trademarks II: portfolio building, trademark maintenance, use of trademarks
- Trademarks III: attack and defense strategy
- Patents and utility models I
- Patents and utility models II
- Trade secrets: from inception to commercialization. Protecting your pipeline. Patents vs. trade secrets
- Patents, utility models, and trade secrets: attack and defense strategies
- Creation of copyright, types of works, and rights covered by intellectual property
- Work for hire, employment agreements, collective works. Designers as creators. The importance of proper assignment of rights
- Copyright and fashion: copyright vs. design or copyright and design?
- Designs I: scope, acquisition, maintenance. Registered vs. non-registered designs, strategic choices
- Designs II: attack and defense strategies
- Fakes, forgeries, counterfeits, and dupes with special reference to “equivalent perfumes”: legal and case law framework
- Fakes, forgeries, counterfeits, and dupes: how to fight them. Counterfeit regulation
- Recycling, upcycling, repairing, and second-hand sales: when sustainability clashes with IP
- Expanding the scope of IP rights and sui generis rights impacting fashion I: collective trademarks, certification trademarks, GIs for artisanal and industrial products
- Expanding the scope of IP rights and sui generis rights impacting fashion II: inspiration vs. cultural misappropriation. Traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, and the clash between public domain and new sui generis IP rights
- Combining forces: design + trademark + image. IP rights in collaborative agreements (e.g., Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama, Crocs and Balenciaga, Pharrell Williams and Adidas)
- Exploiting IP rights by fashion houses: licensing, assignment, transformation rights, etc.
- Licensing a well-known trademark: Barcelona FC
- Practical cases on accumulation of IP protection
- Fashion in cinema and TV: costume design, product placement, and collaborations
- IP and fashion in the Metaverse
- AI and fashion: creativity, ownership of AI-generated designs, and legal implications
- AI tools for the fashion industry: algorithmic couture, AR/VR retail experiences, virtual assistants, chatbots, etc.
- Practical case(s)
5. Digital law
- Transforming fashion retail in the digital age: overview of EU digital regulations
- E-commerce and consumer protection in digital sales
- Platform economy: impact of the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act
- Artificial intelligence and data regulation
- Data protection and cybersecurity
- E-privacy: cookie-based advertising and email marketing obligations
- Legal approaches to online advertising, influencers, and social media
- Customer engagement: legal considerations for profiling and loyalty programs
6. Criminal law
- Introduction to criminal law in the fashion industry
- Fashion companies as potential victims of criminal offenses
- Fashion companies as potential perpetrators of criminal offenses
- Criminal proceedings in Spain as a forum to pursue misconduct and seek damages
- Corporate criminal liability framework in Spain and compliance programs
- Third-party compliance due diligence in supply chains
- Case study
7. ESG
- Introduction to ESG: concepts, principles, and due diligence standards
- ESG criteria in corporate governance: compliance and risk
- Equality, diversity, health and safety, and human rights
- Project finance and sustainable financing
- Waste obligations and extended producer responsibility
- Product design and labeling
8. Labour and employment law
- Common employment contracts in the fashion industry
- Collective bargaining agreements
- Compensation structures
- Working time and work-life balance
- Flexible measures prior to restructuring
- Contract termination: disciplinary and redundancy
- Workplace harassment and internal investigations
- Preparing for court hearings with HR (moot court)
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- International mobility
FACULTY
- Francisco García Pérez (Uría Menéndez)
- Guillermo Zulueta (Bimba y Lola)
- Oliver Ribera (Desigual)
- Eugenia Jover y Ester Montesinos (Mango)
- Jaime López de Villarreal (Loewe)
- Esteve Buldu (Camper)
- Judit Lladós (Tous)
- Josep Dosta (Woodys Eyewear)
- Anna Forns (Pandora)
- Sheila Méndez (Pronovias)
- Judith Rodríguez (Puma)
- Patricia Anduaga (Sephora)
- Irene Moneo (Natura Bissé)
- Marioti Hernández (ISDIN)
- Bárbara Navas (ISDIN)
- Jeanne Weis
- Lorena Sánchez (Martiderm)
- Alexandru Lazar (IntLaw)
- Marita Dargallo (Barrilero y Asociados)
- Iñigo Gené (Baker & McKenzie)
- Esther Gómez (Grau y Ángulo)
- Gonzalo Mesalles (Uría Menéndez)
- Rais Amils (Gómez-Acebo & Pombo)
- Maria Mei Muñoz (Uría Menéndez)
- Jorge Llevat (Barrilero y Asociados)
- Anastasia Leonardi (Sol Muntañola Abogados)
- Myriam Otaola (Isern Patentes y Marcas)
- Sergio Juan-Creix (Croma Legal)
- Silvia Sáenz (Baker & McKenzie)
- Anna Viladas (Gómez-Acebo & Pombo)
- David de Falguera (EY)
- David Molina (Baker & McKenzie)
- María Ángeles Díaz (Uría Menéndez)
- Maria Gili (EY)
- Isaque Leite (Uría Menéndez)
- Eduard Blasi (Data Guardians)
- Mario Montes (Uría Menéndez)
- Oscar Morales (Cases & Lacambra)
- José Alberto Navarro (Uría Menéndez)
- Berta Casas (Toda & Nel-lo)
- Eloi Colldeforns (Uría Menéndez)
- Antoni Companys (Pérez-Llorca)
- Pau Panadés (Toda & Nel-lo)
- Pilar Baltar (Roca Junyent)
- Almudena Álvarez (Álvarez Lentner)
- Kato Aerts (Lydian)
- Catiana Jiménez (Coty)
- Álvaro Bacigalupi (Decathlon)
- José Antonio Moreno (Grupo Alibaba)
- Marion Couvreur (consultora de IP para empresas de moda)
- Adrià Doce (Uría Menéndez)
- Rafael García-Perrote (Uría Menéndez)
- Isabel Gandoy (Cuatrecasas)
- Charles Lapolla (Phillips Nizer)
- Sara Estalella Malet (AWWG)
ACCREDITED DEGREE
Once the corresponding Program has been completed and ISDE has verified that the STUDENT has successfully fulfilled their academic requirements, the STUDENT will receive the corresponding qualification for each PROGRAM.
In compliance with current legislation and, in particular, the provisions of Article 4.4 of Decree 84/2004, it is hereby stated that ISDE programs have a professional orientation and, unless explicitly stated otherwise, do not lead to the award of an officially recognized degree, but rather to an ISDE proprietary qualification.