Suited: Where Fashion Law Meets Culture and Politics

The WNBA season is officially here. And the players aren't just on the court—they're commanding deals across fashion, luxury, and beauty. In this episode of SUITED, Kenya Wiley sits down with Donald Woodard, Founding Partner at Carter + Woodard, and nationally recognized entertainment and sports attorney representing top women athletes in gymnastics, track and field, and basketball—including WNBA...

The wellness market in the United States alone represents more than $500 billion in annual spend and $2 trillion globally. Younger generations are treating wellness as a lifestyle priority, and more fashion brands are entering the wellbeing space along with them. In this episode of SUITED, Kenya Wiley sits down with Angeline Hayling, fashion designer and creative director of Island Tribe—a brand r...

From the Met Gala to "The Devil Wears Prada 2," publishing and media have long shaped fashion, luxury, culture, and politics. In this episode, Kenya Wiley sits down with William Bowes, General Counsel of YouGov and former General Counsel of Condé Nast—home to Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Wired, and The New Yorker . William offers an inside look at lawyering for the Met Gala—covering the four main areas...

Fashion nonprofit Custom Collaborative opened its doors on Halloween 2016. Nearly a decade later, the organization has grown into a 10,000-square-foot space in New York's Garment District. Founder and CEO Ngozi Okaro joins us to discuss their latest cohort, 15-week Training Institute, and digital design program—integrating technology and sustainability to prepare participants for long-term industr...

The U.S. fashion industry is under siege—from tariffs threatening apparel sourcing to changes in U.S. immigration policy. But there's a related crisis that needs attention: the lack of accountability and transparency to support brands and creators. In this episode, Kenya Wiley sits down with Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke of New York's 9th Congressional District, Chair of the Congressional Black C...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made immigration enforcement a top priority. But the Department also oversees several critical areas impacting the business of fashion: seizing and investigating counterfeit goods, collecting tariffs, processing visa petitions for fashion talent, and identifying and managing cyber risks. In this episode, Kenya Wiley sits down with John Tobon, former As...

While the 2026 GRAMMYS will honor the top singers and songwriters, AI deepfakes are already exploiting artists, actors, and other creatives—without consent, compensation, or consequence. Kenya Wiley sits down with Jessica Richard, Senior Vice President of Federal Public Policy at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), to discuss the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainm...

Brands and retailers are integrating AI across teams, but will face a critical question: How do you adopt innovation while managing potential risks? Privacy and AI attorney Ashley Pusey joins host Kenya Wiley to cut through the confusion to discuss the recent White House AI Executive Order focused on deregulation and what this means for AI governance and risk for fashion companies—big and small. K...

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is starting a new era in New York City, and the lessons from 1980s NYC have never been more relevant. CNN legal analyst and Five Bullets author Elliot Williams joins Kenya to discuss Mayor Mamdani's affordability politics, Trump 2.0, and policy issues impacting the business of fashion—including immigration, labor, and tariffs. Elliot also shares insights from Five Bullets —inc...

AI policy has dominated Washington in 2025, but what does this mean for fashion brands and retailers using AI? Kenya sat down with Meagan Foster, Senior Principal at Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies and former deputy chief of staff for U.S, Senator Peter Welch, to break down the year in tech policy— just days before President Trump signed an executive order on federal preemption of state AI laws....

This holiday shopping season, counterfeit goods aren't just an IP problem, but they also raise serious consumer protection and health concerns. After Entrupy—the global leader in AI-powered authentication—scanned materials from close to about 1,200 different fakes, over 70% of the fakes tested had hazardous levels of lead and arsenic. In this episode, Kenya sits down with Entrupy CEO Vidyuth Srini...

AI is reshaping how fashion designers create and connect with customers. Should designers and other industry talent be required to disclose AI-generated elements? What should creators know and how can AI and intellectual property work together? SUITED host Kenya Wiley recently sat down with IP attorney Darrell Mottley to discuss these issues; his current role as Assistant Clinical Professor of Law...

On Wednesday, November 5, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Trump's tariffs impacting textiles, apparel, and footwear—with justices appearing skeptical of the government's authority to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose such sweeping measures. In this episode, international trade attorney Amanda Simpson breaks down the oral arguments and explores three cr...

Ropes & Gray IP transactions partner Erica Han, co-chair of the firm's consumer & retail brands industry group, joins host Kenya Wiley to navigate the legal landscape of dupes in fashion and beauty. In this episode, we discuss the IP battles related to dupes and explore the legal and business implications of dupes-based business models. Erica shares what investors should consider before in...

FDA compliance lawyer Kristen Klesh joins host Kenya Wiley to discuss the evolving legislative and regulatory landscape for cosmetics and beauty brands. From federal implementation of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) to state-level toxic-free laws, this episode explores the legal complexities facing beauty brands as the industry approaches a $590 billion market by 2030. In thi...

In this episode, Kenya Wiley sits down with Maka Hutson, immigration attorney and leader of Akin's immigration practice, to discuss how changes in U.S. immigration policy could affect fashion creatives and the industry's future talent pipeline. On September 19, President Trump signed a proclamation requiring a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions filed on or after September 21—a massive jump f...

U.S. textiles and apparel imports totaled approximately $107 billion in 2024, so it's no surprise that industry professionals throughout fashion's supply chain are closely following the Supreme Court case on tariffs, set for oral arguments on November 5. In this episode, Kenya sits down with international trade expert David Spooner to explore what brands, designers, and manufacturers need to know...

This time last year during New York Fashion Week, industry leaders were in a courtroom — providing testimony in the trial over the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) attempt to block the Tapestry-Capri deal. As we know, the U.S. government succeeded in blocking the merger, but with new leadership now at both the FTC and Department of Justice (DOJ), what does this shifting political landscape mean fo...

As a designer, how can you protect your brand at New York Fashion Week? And if you’re a fashion law attorney, what steps should you take to minimize your clients’ risks and liability on and off the runway? In this episode, we sit down with fashion law attorney Daniel Bellizio. Daniel has represented some of the most creative names in fashion, including Off-White and the late Virgil Abloh. Daniel s...

Interested in breaking into fashion law? And for designers showing at New York Fashion Week, how will you protect your brand? Howard Hogan, a partner at Gibson Dunn and chair of his firm's Consumer and Retail practice group, joins us to discuss the third edition of Fashion Law and Business: Brands and Retailers . We'll dive into the key updates in Howard’s fashion law book — from IP developments a...

What does synthetic biology have to do with the fashion industry? How is AI connected to energy, government policy and the cost of goods? In this episode, applied innovation expert Barry McGeough shares his solution for fashion to deal with its current challenges: Get out of our bubble! Barry has led applied innovation for the biggest names in fashion and tech — including The North Face, PVH, pare...

Step into the dynamic intersection of fashion, technology, and entertainment with LA-based IP Attorney Almuhtada Smith. Our conversation comes at a crucial time as AI innovation reshapes creative industries and Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympics. After working in Big Law for several years, Almuhtada started his own firm, ARS Counsel — Strategic Counsel for Innovators and Creatives. He's re...

OpenAI recently launched GPT-5 — the latest model for the company's AI chatbot ChatGPT, even as debate continues over whether the update delivers on promises of PhD-level capabilities. This development underscores the critical importance of understanding how generative AI is transforming industries worldwide, including fashion. In this remix episode, we explore how artificial intelligence is resha...

For months now, a critical question has been playing out in the courts, the Copyright Office and Congress: When tech companies use large amounts of copyrighted works to train their AI models without permission or payment to the copyright holders, is that fair use or illegal infringement? And why should fashion — an industry that has traditionally relied more on trademark law than copyright protect...

In 1987, New York City created the Special Garment Center District to keep designers and manufacturers together in the heart of Manhattan. Now, nearly four decades later, the same city commission that created this protection is trying to tear it down. On June 18th, the New York City Planning Commission voted to eliminate the special zoning and open the door to residential development in what remai...