A model walks the runway during the Original fashion week in Mexico City last month. Photo: Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP via Getty Images
Indigenous artisans recently participated in a series of fashion shows in Mexico to showcase their designs and raise awareness about what they have denounced as plagiarism and cultural appropriation by major designer brands.
why does it matter: Millions of indigenous peoples try to make a living and maintain their heritage by selling handicrafts and weaving designs, but they rarely make a profit, according to a recent report by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
That’s partly because there’s no global patent standard for such works, and copyright laws in some countries can be confusing, lawyers say. Therefore, indigenous folk artists sometimes accept haggled prices for fear of not selling, at losses of up to 30%. the studios show, or their designs are simply stolen, and the artists receive no credit or compensation.
Details: Original Fashion Week in Mexico last month featured indigenous designers from Latin America and Africa, fair priced booths, conferences and runways.
Status of the situation: Several big brands have been accused of unauthorized use of native designs from Mexico, Guatemala and Andean nations in recent years.
Fashion houses often reply that their garments were inspired by the works and serve as a tribute. Last month, Ralph Lauren apologized for selling an item that she denounced as the theft of zarapes from communities in northern Mexico. He said that products with “indigenous design motifs” in the future will require “credit and collaboration.”
what are they saying: “There has to be a more ethical behavior in the fashion industry,” Alejandra Frausto, Mexico’s secretary of culture, told Telemundo News.
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Source: news.google.com