Intellectual Property

The upcoming Bhutan Fashion Week (BFW) is being billed as a milestone moment for Bhutan’s creative industry with a week-long celebration of design, textiles, and innovation. Its scale and ambition are unprecedented, and if successful, it could put Bhutan’s fledgling fashion industry on the international map.

Yet, behind the glamour and promise, a troubling controversy has emerged, one that raises important questions about how Bhutan treats intellectual property, creativity, and those who dare to dream big.

Chandrika Tamang, one of Bhutan’s first designers to take her brand international, claims that BFW was originally her idea which was conceived, pitched, and documented through multiple proposals and presentations to the Royal Textile Academy (RTA) Director as early as April 2024.

Her vision included an annual Bhutan Fashion Week to give Bhutanese designers and brands a platform, connect them with global buyers, celebrate sustainability, and elevate Bhutanese fashion’s international profile. Today, many of the core elements she proposed, from the event’s name to its themes, and structure form the very backbone of the official BFW, now being organized by RTA and the Department of Media, Creative Industry and Intellectual Property (DoMCIIP).

The organizers say the fashion week was in discussion from last year. But there are similarities between Chandrika’s proposals and the final event.

There have been past instances where even confidential business proposals or ideas have leaked. There is very little respect in Bhutan for intellectual property and many people do not think twice about taking advantage of the intellectual property of others.

Even in government offices a common complaint is of seniors taking the credit for work done by others.

This larger issue goes beyond one individual designer.

Ideas and creativity are the lifeblood of Bhutan’s transition to a knowledge-based and creative economy. Yet, without strong legal and institutional protections, innovators risk having their concepts appropriated without credit or compensation. This not only demotivates those at the forefront of Bhutan’s creative industries, but also discourages younger talents from sharing their visions.

If Bhutan is serious about fostering innovation, whether in fashion, technology, or the arts, it must strengthen its IP regime, create transparent processes for idea submission and collaboration, and ensure fair recognition for originators. BFW could still be a success story, but only if it sets a precedent for respecting intellectual property rather than undermining it. Protecting creativity is not just about justice for one designer, but it is about building a future where Bhutanese ideas are valued, nurtured, and proudly owned.

Intellectual Property is the oil of the 21st century.
Mark Getty