EU competition law and the fashion industry: the specific case of vertical agreements

The paper focuses on the aspects of the EU competition law that are mostly connected to the fashion industry, i.e. the provisions on vertical agreements. The 2010 European Commission’s regulatory package, made up of the block exemption Regulation and the Guidelines on vertical restraints, is analysed in order to outline the most significant rules that must be followed both by the undertakings and the administrative authorities in the assessment of this type of agreements. On the one hand the requirements that an agreement must meet in order to qualify for the so called «safe harbour» exemption are described. On the other, the main conditions for an agreement not falling within the scope of the Regulation in order to be considered nonetheless compatible with Art. 101 TFEU are investigated. Particular attention is also paid the internet sales, which represent the newest dimension of the fashion industry.