Ralph Lauren apologizes to Mexico for pumping up traditional design

Ralph Lauren is one of those brands that have become synonymous with style in the United States. So when she finds herself accused of plagiarizing Mexico’s indigenous creations, it can quickly turn into a diplomatic accident. Especially when the accusation comes from Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, president of the National Coordination of the Historical and Cultural Memory of Mexico and, incidentally, wife of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Did Ralph Lauren plagiarize a community design from Mexico?

On 20 October 2022, the first lady of Mexico shared on Instagram the photo of a garment offered in a Ralph Lauren store:

“Hey Ralph: We realized that you really like Mexican designs, especially those that elaborate ancestral cultures that preserve the textile tradition.

However, when you copy these designs, you fall into plagiarism, and as you know, plagiarism is illegal and immoral. At least recognize it.

I hope you will repair the damage done to the home communities that do this work with love and without profit. “

According to the president of the National Coordination of Historical and Cultural Memory of Mexico Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, Ralph Lauren would have appropriated the clothing models imagined and worn by Contla and Saltillo.

Ralph Lauren apologizes to Mexico and withdraws the affected products from sale

Faced with this public accusation, Ralph Lauren expressed his surprise and apologized Reuters :

“We are deeply sorry that this happened and, as always, we are open to dialogue on how we can do better. “

It is not the first time that Mexico has defended its most marginalized indigenous communities. The government filed a complaint against Shein in July 2022, and previously against Carolina Herrera, Zara or even Anthropologie, for similar cases of what could be roughly summed up as cultural appropriation (which is not a legal notion, nor criminally reprehensible, but a tool to understand this type of dynamics).

In January 2022, Sézane was also threatened by Mexico with a possible legal action for ” undermining the dignity of indigenous communities and reinforcing racist stereotypes », Following a fetishizing campaign. The Mexican government then issued this appeal to order against the French brand:

“Stop exploiting indigenous peoples as cultural capital […] They are not objects of disguise, but citizens of law who possess a vast cultural heritage. “

This kind of activity splashing the seemingly harmless fashion industry has been completely part of President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador’s policy since he took office in 2018. Reuters, in this sense has launched an entire campaign to recover the relics of Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage. In particular, he has filed several complaints against auction houses in the United States and Europe, in order to recover looted Mexican antiquities. During this period in France, the question of the return of African works of art progressed with difficulty.

Front page photo credit: Instagram screenshot.