05 Sep 2025
Fashion thrives on collaboration—whether it's a streetwear-meets-haute-couture moment, a capsule collection (a condensed line of clothing and accessories) with an emerging artist, or teaming up with a manufacturer to bring your designs to life. However, while collaborations offer huge creative and commercial potential, they also come with risks—especially when it comes to intellectual property (IP).
Without the right protection in place, your original work—your sketches, your samples, your patterns—could be misused, misattributed, or even owned by someone else.
So how can designers and brands collaborate confidently and safely?
1. Keep a Creative Trail: Why Good Records Matter
It all starts before the collaboration even begins. As a designer, your ideas are valuable, and the more evidence you have of when and how they were developed, the better positioned you are to protect them.
Here’s what you should be documenting:
- Sketches and design drawings
- Moodboards and concept development
- Fabric samples, patterns, and prototypes
- Emails or notes outlining the idea's evolution
By maintaining an archive of your design process, you’re building a solid foundation for enforcing copyright or defending against any future disputes. These records show you are the originator of the work—which matters both legally and commercially.
2. Get the Agreements Right—Before You Begin
When you enter into a collaboration, you’re blending brands, creativity, and often, resources. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to have clear, written agreements in place from the start.
What to cover in your collaboration agreement:
- Who owns what: Be crystal clear on ownership of the IP. Does each party retain ownership of their own contributions? Will something new be co-owned?
- Usage rights: Who can use the designs, where, and for how long?
- Revenue sharing: How will profits be divided? Who controls pricing?
- Termination clauses: What happens if the collaboration ends early?
Good relationships are built on trust—but good business is built on clarity. A strong agreement can actually strengthen the relationship, by setting expectations up front and preventing confusion later.
3. Safeguard Your Work with Manufacturers
Behind every beautiful garment is a chain of production partners—and your IP needs to be protected there too.
When working with manufacturers:
- Have a strong contract that defines exactly what the manufacturer is responsible for.
- Be clear about what they can and cannot do with your designs, patterns, and branding.
- Set expectations around quality, delivery timelines, and confidentiality.
It’s especially important to define how your IP can be used—can they share your samples with other clients? Can they produce similar styles for other brands? If it’s not written down, it’s not protected.
4. Use NDAs—and Pay Attention to How They Respond
Before you even start sharing designs, moodboards, or concepts with a potential partner or manufacturer, get a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) signed.
A well-drafted NDA:
- Legally binds the other party to keep your work confidential
- Limits what they can do with the information you share
- Shows that you’re serious about protecting your IP
And here’s a useful tip: pay attention to how they respond when you ask them to sign the NDA. Are they respectful and cooperative? Or dismissive and vague? Their attitude will tell you a lot about how they operate—and whether they’re the right fit for your business.
Collaborate Creatively, Protect Strategically
Great collaborations in fashion happen when creativity and trust come together. But trust doesn’t mean skipping legal protection. It means creating a framework where everyone knows where they stand—and can focus on doing their best work.
At IP Solved, we work with designers, fashion houses, and creative collaborators to make sure your ideas, designs, and commercial rights are protected from sketch to shelf. From drafting strong NDAs to navigating ownership in joint design ventures, we help you build solid creative partnerships—with smart legal backing.
Thinking of Collaborating? Let’s Talk.
Protect your next big idea before it hits the runway or the market.
Get in touch with IP Solved today to make sure your creativity is protected at every stage.
