Mexican government calls attention to Levi's for using artisan designs without granting copyright
The Ministry of Culture of Mexico questioned this Sunday the US company Levi's for using designs of Mexican indigenous people in their garments without having the authorization or having paid for the copyright to the community from which they originate.
Secretary Alejandra Frausto sent a letter to the Levi's Mexico company and another to the Dracco Textil collective, which collaborated with the company, so that " it is publicly explained on what grounds a collective property is commercialized and privatized ."
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“This is a principle of ethical consideration that, locally and globally, forces us to call attention to and put on the table for public discussion an issue that cannot be postponed: protecting the rights of indigenous peoples who have historically been made invisible ”, Fraust pointed out.
The Ministry of Culture denounced in a statement that the "Levi's Premium, Original Trucker Jacket" collection contains embroidered elements on its pants and jackets that belong to the Mazatec culture of the San Felipe community, Jalapa de Díaz, in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. Mexico.
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According to the agency, the company did not use the "appropriate mechanism to obtain permission from said community."
In her letters, Frausto cited the Federal Copyright Law of the Mexican State, which states that the works "cannot be used without the written authorization of the owner town or community."
The legislation also requires “fair and equitable compensation for the benefit of rights holders”.
“Principles that your brand is not complying with, while the designs have been cut to be applied to industrialized garments ; they do not indicate the name of the communities and there is no compensation to the owners of said designs, ”said Secretary Frausto in her letter.
The questioning is an example of the growing fight of the Government of Mexico against, in her opinion, the plagiarism that international brands make of indigenous designs.
Last May, the Ministry of Culture accused the Spanish Zara and the American Anthropologie and Patowl of cultural appropriation for launching clothes with elements of Oaxacan peoples.
In this context, the unit celebrates the Original festival from Thursday to Sunday, an annual space to claim original designs.
“The weaving hands of the ancient culture of Mexico make their way to show the world their way of understanding it through their designs and creations. Never again a 'tribute' without them”, indicated Frausto. (I)