The Oaxacan Craft Institute accused Australian clothing brand Zimmermann of plagiarism for the use of designs from the glen and papaloapan regions in one of its collections.
According to the body, the piece “Pictures, the Riders Panelled Tunic Dress & Wide Brim Boater”, from the Resort Swim 2021 collection, have designs corresponding to the Mazateque populations of the Cañada region, mainly Huautla de Jiménez and San Bartolomé Ayautla.
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“The embroidery is made with cross stitch, on the square in which they represent different symbolic elements such as birds and flowers that reflect the nature of their communities, framed with colorful ribbons, which distinguishes them from one village to another,” explained the Oaxacan institute in a statement.
Since #Oaxaca we make an energetic call to the ZIMMERMANN brand to explain the iconographic and technical elements of the pieces of its Collection Resort Swim 2021, we also ask for recognition of the craftsmanship of the villages of the glen and papaloapan region. pic.twitter.com/wVy6KlJm9f
— ArtesaniasdeOaxaca (@IOA_GobOax) January 13, 2021
They also mention that the piece “The Lulu Drop Waist Mini Dress & Scoop Bikini” presents “great similarity” in the design of the traditional huipil of Jalapa de Díaz, papaloapan, region where hand embroidery stands out in which “the exuberance of nature is reflected as branches, flowers and birds that envelop the huipiles in its entirety”.
“From Oaxaca we make an energetic call to the ZIMMERMANN brand to explain the iconographic and technical elements of the pieces of its Collection Resort Swim 2021, we also call for recognition of the craftsmanship of the peoples of the glen region and papaloapan,” the institute insisted.
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