France: Sézane brand apologizes after video scandalous in Mexico
The Mexican government wants to be particularly attentive to respect for indigenous peoples, it has accused international brands for years of plagiarizing the patterns of indigenous craftsmanship.
AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
French fashion company Sézane apologizes after a photoshoot and the publication of a video with an elderly lady from the indigenous Zapotec community that caused a scandal in Mexico.
The National Institute of Indigenous Peoples, a state body, has announced the opening of an investigation.
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"
The original cultures of Mexico are not a zoo ", strangled the NGO
Lienzos extraordinarios
a few days ago
by publishing a video, filmed in the state of Oaxaca, showing an elderly indigenous woman under the objectives of this which looks like a photoshoot.
We hear laughter, and at the request of one of the team members, the old lady takes a few dance steps.
This past weekend, B Corp (!) Fashion label @SEZANE_PARIS paid Indigenous people in #Oaxaca, Mexico, 200 MXN (<10 USD) in exchange for them dancing in the label's clothes.
Confronted with a shitstorm on Instagram, the label now canceled their campaign. # Sezanerespeta pic.twitter.com/zpB4urqPer
- Peter F. Ebbinghaus (@ebbingcasa) January 11, 2022
According to the NGO, she was wearing a garment from a Sézane collection, and was paid 200 Mexican pesos, less than nine euros.
The case caused a scandal: the Mexican Ministry of Culture and the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination accuse the French company of "
manipulating, using and exhibiting elderly people of native peoples in the context of its advertising
".
The patterns of indigenous craftsmanship plagiarized around the world
Tuesday, January 11,
Lienzos extraordinarios
shared the message of "
deep apologies
" sent to her by the founder of Sézane, which says these photos were not intended for commercial use.
The National Institute of Indigenous Peoples has announced an investigation.
The Mexican government wants to be particularly attentive to respect for indigenous peoples, it has accused international brands for years of plagiarizing the patterns of indigenous craftsmanship - the French fashion designer, Isabel Marant had already apologized in 2020.
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To read also:
The statue of an indigenous woman will replace Christopher Columbus in Mexico City
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