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Fashion &#38; Textile History GalleryDecember 2, 2014 – April 25, 2015[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="196"]  The House of Worth, afternoon dress, Silk velvet, chenille, chiffon, 1903, France, gift of Mary Elizabeth Fogarty, 67.127.1[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="157"] Unlicensed copy of Madeleine Vionnet’s “Little Horses” dress, rayon crepe, black and gold seed beads, c. 1925, USA, gift of Mrs. J. Mirsky, 76.125.1[/caption]&#160;&#160;Visit the Online ExhibitionJoin the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #FakingItFashionAuthenticity and copyright protection against knock offs are two of the most debated topics in fashion today. Faking It: Originals, Copies, and Counterfeitsinvestigates the history of both authorized and unauthorized copying, as well as the various factors that have led to grey areas in authenticity.The exhibition opens with two identical suits from 1966—an original by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and a licensed copy—alongside a video featuring side-by-side comparisons of the suits. Faking It then continues chronologically, beginning with a 1903 purple velvet evening dress by Charles Frederick Worth accompanied by a detail photo of his signed label, which authenticated his creations. However, the demand for his brand created a market for copyists.Couturiers such as Madeleine Vionnet implemented various initiatives to stop knock offs of her designs, such as marking her label with her thumbprint in order to authenticate each creation. Unfortunately, this did not entirely discourage copying, as can be seen in an unauthorized reproduction of her “Little Horses” dress from 1924. Likewise, in an effort to battle unauthorized copying during the 1930s, the Fashion Originators’ Guild of America registered fashion designers’ work. An example of a black fringe evening dress with the registered label and sketch is included in Faking It.From its inception, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture struggled with maintaining the exclusivity of haute couture, while promoting it through press coverage and licensed copies. When the couture industry began to re-stabilize after World War II, the struggle intensified. The high demand for Christian Dior’s famed 1947 collection led to many unauthorized copies of his silhouette. Faking It uses a Nettie Rosenstein dress from that same year to illustrate such copying.During the 1950s, couturiers relied heavily on department stores that would purchase couture garments for the purpose of producing licensed copies. The exhibition features more than ten examples of various authorized couture copies from department stores around the world.Chanel once said, “Fashion should slip out of your hands. The very idea of protecting the seasonal arts is childish. One should not bother to protect that which dies the minute it is born.” Chanel's tweed suits were so recognizable, she saw copies of her designs as a form of publicity. A selection of six Chanel originals and copies from the 1960s to the 1980s will be featured. The 1990s ushered in the era of logo mania and the mass production of counterfeit goods. A special display case in Faking It places authentic designer bags next to their corresponding counterfeits. Examples will include bags from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, and the CFDA x eBay anti-counterfeit campaign, “You Can’t Fake Fashion,” along with shoes by Christian Louboutin. A video will showcase detailed photos that illustrate how to spot a counterfeit.At his fall 2007 runway show, Yohji Yamamoto debuted a newly created “YY” logo that was featured prominently on a number of garments and pieces of luggage. The logo was remarkably identical to the familiar Louis Vuitton monogram, and some audience members thought it was referencing Vuitton’s origins as a designer of luxury luggage. Was Yamamoto mocking the French brand? Was he making a comment about consumerism? Or was he applauding the power of a venerable luxury brand? No lawsuits resulted from Yohji Yamamoto’s new logo, but it did flirt with crossing the line of trademark infringement. More recently, Los Angeles designer Brian Lichtenberg created a witty interpretation of the Hermes logo with his “Homies” collection (an entire “Homies” ensemble is featured inFaking It). Fashion lawyers are still debating whether this is a case of trademark infringement or protected speech as legitimate parody.The exhibition concludes with a video featuring exclusive interviews with select fashion, law, and government insiders providing their views on the current state of protection for fashion designers against copyists and fast fashion knock offs. Faking It: Originals, Copies, and Counterfeits is organized by Ariele Elia, assistant curator at The Museum at FIT.La suite sur : http://www.fitnyc.edu/22937.aspMuseum at the Fashion Institute of TechnologySeventh Avenue at 27 StreetNew York City 10001-5992