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Thorstein Veblen, social philospher (who coined the term ‘Conspicuous Consumption’), believed that fashion cycles succeeded as they were a relief from the specific ugliness of the previous season. Cf. Oscar Wilde: “fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable we have to alter it every six months.”
On the other hand, law professors Kal Raustiala

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From the website for The Double Knit Era:
Details of every team’s uniform jerseys are provided- front, back and patches, going back to the beginning of the Double Knit Era. This new THIRD EDITION for 2005 is over 1050 pages and includes more than 6000 photographs. It chronicles every detail change for every uniform

Raustiala and Sprigman, ‘The Piracy Paradox: Innovation and Intellectual Property in Fashion Design,’ UCLA School of Law Research Paper No. 06-04 (Jan 2006). Abstract:
“The orthodox justification for intellectual property is utilitarian. Advocates for strong IP rights argue that absent such rights copyists will free-ride on the efforts of creators and stifle innovation.