Mexico fights 'plagiarism' with indigenous fashion fair
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, December 13, 2024


Mexico fights 'plagiarism' with indigenous fashion fair
Models present creations at the Centro Cultural Los Pinos, former Los Pinos presidential office, during the Original Fashion Week in Mexico City on November 18, 2021. RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP.

by Samir Tounsi



MEXICO CITY.- Mexico is fighting back against what it calls the plagiarism of indigenous textiles, bringing together traditional artisans and international designers for dialogue aimed at creating a more equitable fashion industry.

Dozens of indigenous weavers and other artisans are gathering this weekend at the Los Pinos former presidential residence in Mexico City for the "Original" fair hosted by the culture ministry.

Alongside an open-air market selling clothes and accessories such as the huipil, a traditional white cotton blouse with finely embroidered patterns, there are fashion parades resembling indigenous pride marches.

The goal is to end what Mexico's leftist government denounces as cultural appropriation of the motifs, embroidery and colors of indigenous communities by foreign fashion houses.

"Plagiarism is not a tribute. Theft is not the fruit of inspiration," Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto said at the fair's inauguration.

She denounced the "modern-day pirates" who "take what they like and label it as any kind of merchandise."

'Lack of communication'

Mexico won an apology a year ago from French designer Isabel Marant after Frausto demanded an explanation for Marant's use of the traditional patterns of the Purepecha community in her collection.

Similar complaints have been lodged against major clothing brands, including Zara and Mango.

Marant said future designs would properly "pay tribute to our sources of inspiration."

A representative of her company was due to meet directly with indigenous artisans at the Mexico City fair, as was one for the Spanish designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

On Friday, two young designers from Paris sat down with craftsman Ignacio Netzahualcoyotl and his partner Christian Janat at their workshop in the state of Tlaxcala east of Mexico City.




"Plagiarism is the result of a lack of communication," Netzahualcoyotl said afterward.

"We ask that our work be paid for fairly," he added.

"The price must take into account the design, the patterns, the number of hours worked," he said after presenting his fabric to the two Parisians.

"We want to come to an agreement with the artisans with whom we are going to work," said French designer Theophile Delaeter, co-creator of the Calher Delaeter brand with his Franco-Mexican co-creator Alonso Calderon Hernandez.

'It's theft'

Indigenous artisans at the fair complained of discovering copies of their fabric on the internet.

"A few months ago, we fought because we found a computer-reproduced huipil," said Candy Margarita de la Cruz Santiago, a young weaver from the southern state of Oaxaca.

Legal measures are being put in place to tackle the problem.

"Under new provisions that we've had since last year, written consent of the communities is necessary when this kind of textile art is going to be used for profit," said a representative of the National Institute of Copyright, Marco Antonio Morales Montes.

Mexico is also asking for a discussion within the World Intellectual Property Organization about the issue, he added.

Artisan weavers like Marta Serna Luis, 58, hope the steps will bring them the recognition they are seeking.

"We must apply the law against the perpetrators of plagiarism. It's theft," she said.

© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

November 22, 2021

The art of storytelling in Andalusian Baroque painting arrives at the Prado Museum

Exhibition features over forty works by Impressionist master Camille Pissarro

Exhibition explores Alexander Calder's enduring and unmistakable influence on contemporary art

Eli Wilner & Company reframes Alfred Jacob Miller's "Our Camp" for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Jeu de Paume opens 'Masterworks of Modern Photography 1900-1940: The Thomas Walther Collection'

Rare Einstein manuscript set to fetch millions

Exhibition presents photographic prints selected by Annie Leibovitz from her acclaimed body of work

New exhibition celebrates collaborations of French designers, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

The San Diego Museum of Art opens 'Masters of Photography: The Garner Collection'

First major retrospective of Andrea Bowers opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Gillian Wearing is spilling your secrets

Olivia Walton to lead Crystal Bridges board

Works by creator of much-loved Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park coming up for auction

The New Children's Museum in San Diego names new leader

Sculptures installed in the gardens around Firstsite as part of a new project

Curators get share of £300,000 to deepen collections knowledge

Exhibition of new paintings by Grace Weaver opens at James Cohan

Mexico fights 'plagiarism' with indigenous fashion fair

Venezuela sets largest orchestra world record

Iran's Farhadi threatens not to represent Iran at Oscars

The New Art Dealers Alliance hosts exhibition of works by Nokukhanya Langa, presented by Ballon Rouge

Dutch photographer Frank van Driel exhibits 'The Art of Perception'

Nairy Baghramian presents an installation at Vienna's Secession

Art Gallery of NSW marks 'topping out' for Sydney Modern Project




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful