Biography
Staci Trager (formerly Staci Riordan) draws on her experience as a corporate executive to help clients optimize growth and protect market share as they navigate post-pandemic business dynamics. A pioneer in fashion law, she works with leaders, teams, creatives, designers, manufacturers, retailers, and entertainers—particularly non–U.S.-based multinationals—to address the full array of corporate, litigation, and compliance issues they face.
/ My focus
I work with all types of consumer-facing businesses, but I have a passion for helping clients in the fashion industry. As a former apparel company executive and an adjunct professor at a leading fashion industry institute, I understand how to work within and use the law for the good of clients trying to navigate and thrive in the challenging, competitive, and crowded fashion market.
Trusted Advisor
In the courtroom or in the boardroom, my goal with every client is to be a trusted advisor. Whether you are a household name like Giorgio Armani or H&M or an up-and-comer like Swet Tailor, you need someone who knows your business, so you can benefit from cost-efficient, goal-oriented strategies—be it to conceive, structure, and grow your organization, aggressively litigate disputes that may arise, or adapt to evolving laws and regulations on issues like privacy and data security.
High-Stakes Disputes and Litigation
One of the downfalls of success is that it often opens the door to litigation. Here, I draw on my depth of experience to help clients navigate the legal issues, the system, and the individuals and craft strategies that meet their business objectives.
Clients who are not used to going before the courts appreciate my ability to educate them on the litigation process and communicate the implications of what is happening throughout. I have experience litigating in California state and federal courts, including most recently a case involving statutory interpretation, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Brand Strategy
I help fashion brands adapt, innovate, and stay ahead of their competition, particularly when it comes to the legal strategies at the foundation of brand cultivation. I serve as a business and legal advisor, partnering with clients to define, manage, and expand their brands via traditional media, such as television, film, and celebrity endorsement.
Legal Educator
One of my proudest accomplishments is helping to launch the Fashion Law Project at my alma mater, Loyola Law School. Founded in 2014, the Fashion Law Project is an academic center that provides a business and legal curriculum for designers, apparel industry executives, and lawyers. I serve as the program’s executive director—overseeing the annual Fashion Law Symposium and Fashion Law Summer Intensive—as well as an adjunct professor teaching Fashion Law and running the Fashion Law Clinic.