Tania Phipps-Rufus

Tania Phipps-Rufus is a Senior Lecturer in Fashion (Law) Culture and Business and the Course Leader for the BA (Hons) programme in Fashion Culture and Business at the University of East London. She also leads research and innovation for the Fashion Department. With a background in law, Tania Phipps-Rufus stands out as a unique voice in the field of fashion law and culture due to her interdisciplinary approach that integrates law, social justice, culture, and sociology. She is the founder of Fashion, Law and Business, a platform for commentary and consulting on fashion law and on legal cases and culturally topical issues in fashion and is also the founder of the Fashion Law Masterclass series that supports emerging designers and legal counsel.

Tania read law at the University of Kent and received her LL.M in Intellectual Property Law from the University of London, Queen Mary. She was awarded a fully funded Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) research scholarship to conduct her PhD at the University of Bristol on the effectiveness of the intellectual property regime for designers in the UK fashion industry. As a fashion Law and cultural scholar Tania regularly receives invitations to speak on these topics at universities and other institutions. She has presented her research at University of Oxford, V&A Museum, University of Antwerp, London College of Fashion, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law to mention. She has been a Visiting Lecturer in Intellectual Property on the MA in Luxury Brand Management at Goldsmith University since 2017. She currently sits on the research ethics board at the Design Museum. By combining legal expertise with a deep understanding of cultural and social issues, Tania expertise and research offers a fresh and nuanced perspective that is invaluable to the fashion and creative industries. To learn more about Tania's work, approach and research, visit her profile on the University of East London website or connect with her on LinkedIn.