They prepare encounter for artisans to negotiate with brands

The defense of the collective rights of native peoples is one of the priority fronts opened by the current administration of federal Culture. Since the beginning of the present government, at least half a dozen letters have been sent from the agency to different international product trade brands, particularly clothing, accusing appropriation or reproduction without consent of original designs by indigenous peoples and communities or teachers. country artisans.

Carolina Herrera, Isabel Marant, Louis Vuitton and Zara are some of the brands that have received the reproaches personally signed by the head of federal Culture, Alejandra Frausto Guerrero, for the violation of the creative rights, generally collective, of teachers Mexican artisans and designers; and they have agreed to withdraw the garments or products in question from the market. But these are just a handful of examples of the many ways in which brands of all kinds walk the fine line between design that inspires and design that is arbitrarily appropriated.

With this preamble, this Monday from Tlaxcala the federal agency presented the Original project, a meeting between artisans and companies, as well as the construction of an observatory that, it is intended, will reinforce the defense of the diverse artistic creations of the country and generate the conditions to detonate ethical business practices.

The presentation was led by the official herself, accompanied by teachers and master craftsmen from different regions of the country who are part of the advisory committee, as well as Culture officials in a project that, it was said, should be transversal and will put determination first of the peoples in the steps to follow.

Frausto shared that one of the responses received by the clothing brands with which he came into contact for the appropriation of Mexican textile designs, particularly Carolina Herrera, was that it was a tribute to Mexico. “But I don't know of tributes where the honorees are not invited. You have to nurture and contribute to an industry as big as the fashion of a certain ethic”, he declared.

Several brands mentioned have confirmed

Original will be a laboratory for the development of public policies, it was pointed out on several occasions. In addition, it was said, the project is the concrete response to the interest that various communities have expressed to the Culture authorities to venture into the large textile and fashion market, since it represents good monetary opportunities.

The great moment of the project will be a meeting from November 18 to 21 at the Los Pinos Cultural Complex, which, anticipated the Undersecretary of Cultural Development, Marina Núñez Bespalova, will be attended by around 3,000 master craftsmen. The cost for its implementation will be about 27 million pesos.

The meeting will occupy the entire extension of the Los Pinos Cultural Center. Two houses in the complex will be enabled as spaces for exhibition and sale. A catwalk will be set up for the original and unpublished work of designers, master craftsmen and the brands involved. A business room will also be installed for business meetings between brands, teachers and community representatives. All this will be complemented with a program of forums and conferences. It is intended to be an annual meeting.

The undersecretary expanded without specifying names, that the Ministry of Culture contacted the brands that have received the aforementioned letters from Mexico and several of them confirmed their presence at the meeting. "We are making an agenda so that they not only come to Original but also come with a job offer with the communities."

They will focus on cases of appropriation

At the same time, an observatory for good practices is being created by Indautor in collaboration with the World Industrial Property Organization (WIPO), "because It is very difficult for them to understand collective law in Europe”, stated Frausto, and confirmed that the Ministries of the Interior, Economy, Labor and the Environment, as well as INPI and INALI also participate in the observation system.

Mardonio Carballo, general director of Popular, Indigenous and Urban Cultures, added that the observatory will be governed by "conciliation with those who 'pay homage' to the art of indigenous peoples" and contemplates the creation of didactic material for the protection of collective rights.

“We are taking the first step in the world for the protection of the cultural and artistic rights of indigenous peoples. We will have to create everything (...) we are also going to generate a communication with UNESCO and the United Nations for accompaniment, because the practices of cultural looting do not only concern Mexico”.

Lastly, Carballo spoke to the native communities: “it is extremely important that this space be made yours, that you be the ones to dictate the paths of where public policies on collective rights will go, so that this can be real inclusive country for which we fight.”

ricardo.quiroga@eleconomista.mx

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