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Ralph Lauren apologizes after Mexico’s First Lady accuses it of plagiarism
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Cultural appropriation: Designer Ralph Lauren attends the New York City special screening of Western Stars at Metrograph on Oct. 16, 2019. The eponymously named United States fashion brand apologized on Friday after Mexican First Lady Beatriz Gutierrez tweeted that it had plagiarized the designs of indigenous communities. (AFP/Angela Weiss)
T
he United States fashion house Ralph Lauren apologized on Friday after Mexico’s First Lady accused it of plagiarizing indigenous designs and sought compensation for local communities.
Mexico regularly denounces what it calls plagiarism by foreign designers of the motifs, embroidery and colors of its indigenous communities. It has previously lodged complaints against major clothing brands including Zara, Mango and SHEIN.
“We are deeply sorry this happened and, as always, we are open to dialogue about how we can do better,” Ralph Lauren said in a statement.
The accusation came on Thursday from First Lady Beatriz Gutierrez, who also heads a cultural affairs commission.
“Hey Ralph: We already realized that you really like Mexican designs,” she said in an Instagram post. “However, by copying these designs you’re committing plagiarism, and as you know, plagiarism is illegal and immoral.”
Gutierrez posted a picture of a Ralph Lauren jacket with a design she said matched those of the Contla and Saltillo communities of Mexico.
“At least acknowledge it. And hopefully you will compensate the original communities that do this work with love and not for million-dollar profit,” said Gutierrez, who is also a journalist and writer.
The Ralph Lauren statement said: “We are surprised to learn this product is being sold.
“When our team discovered months ago that this was in our product pipeline, we issued a stern directive to remove the item from all channels,” it said.
Mexico won an apology in 2020 from French designer Isabel Marant for the use of the traditional patterns from an indigenous community based in the country’s west.
