The World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO)’s IP for Business Division and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) present the 2025 Intellectual Property Management Clinic for Fashion entrepreneurs, in collaboration with three key partners in the fashion sector: The European Fashion Alliance (EFA), European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX) and The Circular Fashion Federation.
Are you an entrepreneur or small- or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the fashion sector? Are you looking to strengthen your business and IP strategy, protect your creative assets, and expand your market presence?
This year’s clinic puts a special focus on empowering fashion entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and designers with the knowledge and tools to develop effective IP strategies that support long-term, sustainable growth.
Fashion is a cornerstone of regional economies across the EU, and IP is a powerful, yet underused, assets in a fashion business's toolkit. As the industry shifts toward sustainability, eco-design and upcycling are becoming central strategies, encouraging creative reuse of materials and reducing environmental impact. At every stage of the creative and production process, IP plays a crucial role.
Design rights can protect the visual elements of a garment or pattern. Trademarks safeguard your brand identity, your name, logo, and slogans. Copyright defends the artistic originality of your work, including your collections, campaigns, and digital content. Patents can protect innovative materials or technologies. Even your manufacturing know-how and business methods can be safeguarded through trade secrets.
But IP isn't just about protection, it’s a strategic driver of growth. A well-managed IP portfolio helps build brand recognition, distinguish your products in a crowded market, and attract investment. IP enables licensing and collaborative opportunities, allowing fashion businesses to scale, diversify revenue streams, and enter new markets with confidence. In today’s digital and globalized world, IP also ensures that your creativity translates into commercial success, whether through social media campaigns, product placements, or multimedia collaborations. As an SME in the fashion industry, protecting your product from IP infringement, especially the risk of being copied and resold on online platforms, requires a smart, adaptable IP strategy.
With the right IP strategy, even emerging designers can become global names. But without one, creative work is left vulnerable, and growth opportunities may be lost. The IP Management Clinic is here to help you navigate that journey, confidently and creatively!
Why participate?
Selected companies will gain exclusive access to a free, high-value programme tailored to support the development of strong intellectual property (IP) strategies in the fashion sector. Spanning five months, the 2025 IP Management Clinic provides targeted guidance based on each participant’s unique business needs, as identified during the application process.
Participants will benefit from expert-led mentoring and training designed to help them:
- Understand the value and strategic role of IP in building a competitive edge;
- Protect their IP assets across both physical and digital environments;
- Confidently navigate IP enforcement and risk mitigation;
- Leverage IP to unlock business growth opportunities.
What you can expect
Over the course of five months, selected companies will engage in the following activities:
- Three personalized, one-on-one mentoring sessions with leading IP experts specializing in the fashion industry (fully funded by the program);
- Three online workshops covering a range of business- and IP-related topics designed to correspond to the specific needs of participating companies, including:
- Branding and marketing through IP;
- Building and managing an IP strategy and portfolio;
- Ownership and collaboration; Contracting and legal considerations for IP in fashion
- Monetizing IP: licensing, sales, and partnerships;
- Sustainable fashion and the circular economy;
- IP in secondhand markets;
- Online IP strategies and e-commerce protection;
- Risk management and enforcement against infringement;
- Best practices for trade fairs and fashion shows;
- Peer-to-peer networking opportunities among participating companies in the clinic.
- Selected companies may participate in the final event to be held in Alicante, Spain, in November 2025 (the program covers travel costs).
The anticipated time dedication for participants during this period is estimated at between 10 to 15 hours each.
Who can apply?
To participate, companies must meet the following criteria:
- Be an SME (less than 50 million turnover and 250 employees);
- Be based in an EU Member State or an EFTA country (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) or Ukraine;
- Operate in the fashion industry and be engaged in a sustainable or circular approach
- Own a product or service that is already commercialized in the EU market and is potentially or already protected by IP rights;
- Have an entrepreneurial team (of at least two people);
- The entrepreneurial team must have a good command of English.
Deadline and schedule
To participate, applicants must complete the questionnaire by 10 September. WIPO and EUIPO will assess applications and select a limited number of companies. The selection announcement will follow shortly after the deadline has passed.
To ensure a successful IP Management Clinic, the selected companies will be expected to actively participate in the program (join online workshops, provide non-confidential information on their product or technology and IP, provide feedback after the clinic with a time dedication estimated at between 10 and 15 hours).
To learn more about this program to support SMEs, check out our IP Management Clinic for SMEs Program webpage.