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With a viral campaign on the networks, the "threat" of dedicating a shirt that says "Zara, you have to stop", but above all with humor and revival, the entrepreneurs of the Cuban brand Clandestina have responded to the appearance in the Spanish chain of designs suspiciously similar to yours.

"It is the only thing we have left, we really have no choice against Zara. What we do have is the ability to make fun and take advantage of what we are, a Cuban brand with a sense of humor that we are constantly fighting against adversities, taking advantage of the negative situations ", explains the creative brain of the brand, the Cuban Idania del Río.

The protagonists of the controversy are three designs: two slogans that Clandestina prints on their cotton shirts - "Actually, I'm in Havana" (in Spanish means 'In fact, I'm in Havana') and "The drama is over" -, and a strip of cloth with the slogan "Country under construction" that gives its name and characterizes one of its latest collections.

The Inditex chain has included a similar strip that reads "Under construction" in some of its garments, and also markets two T-shirts that read "Mentally I'm in Havana" and "Delete the drama" (delete the drama) .

The Spanish fashion giant is not present in Cuba, but Clandestina learned of the existence of the alleged plagiarisms thanks to customers who saw the designs in stores in countries like Spain and Mexico and sent them the photographs.

His response, from the irony and humor, has been a video spread on social networks in which those who work in this project of young entrepreneurs take the colors to the multinational and confess it with confidence to stop copying the work of others .

For his followers, there was no other answer, given that one of the brand's charms is the use of typically Cuban iconography and shameless slogans that wink at the chronic problems of those who live in Cuba, from the bad transport to the lack of internet going through the shortage of basic products such as eggs or the thawing back and forth with the US.

Inside the Cuban brand store in Old Havana, in the small screen printing workshop where some of the designs are handcrafted, this Monday there was indignation among the workers of the brand, which also employs Cuban women to sew their garments , many of them rethought from recycled clothing.

They will go further, responding to Zara with the same currency: they will print a shirt, which is the fetish garment that made Clandestina known, with the message : "Actually, zarita, you have to stop", as they have been asked numerous followers on social networks.

Idania remembers that it was months ago when she learned of the suspicious resemblance of one of the designs, and after another. He decided to take away his importance until the third photograph that came to him was, he considered, clearly inspired by the best-selling model of the Cuban brand, which in addition to clothing designs sheets, some home accessories, bags and magnets.

"The one that did turn me on was 'Mentally I'm in Havana' because that design is an obvious plagiarism of a 2015 Clandestina design that says 'Actually, I'm in Havana'. We have said a lot that it represents a state of mind, it means that you are in Havana, that you think of Havana, the phrase is in English ... The meaning of the phrase is exactly the same, "he says.

So much so, that they just released a screenshot that shows how when Google searches for the phrase of Zara's shirt, the search engine responds by asking the Internet user if what he means is "Actually I'm in Havana, Clandestine, Cuba. "

The Spanish Leire Fernández, head of Clandestina's business, proposes "a viral, global campaign to raise awareness of the buyer."

"There are a lot of cases of plagiarism, it is not the first, and they allow it to be great and it is bad, because it is detrimental to the creativity of design professionals. Hopefully more designers are added that have also been plagiarized by Zara "says Fernandez.

And with irony, apostille: Creativity is infinite, like the account of Amancio (Ortega, founder of Inditex). Zara, pay your designers as we pay the rest. "

The entrepreneurs, who have been the first independent Cuban clothing brand capable of circumventing the iron embargo of the United States and selling their designs in that country, are moved by the angry and supportive reaction of the community.

"It is not the first time that they have copied us and surely if we continue doing it well it will not be the last time they copy us. Feeling that what we do people recognize it , that our clients and friends have exclaimed 'what is happening' gives a lot of energy , much 'power', "they ditch.

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  • Zara
  • Cuba
  • Inditex Group

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