Latina Designer Says French Label Stole Her Mexican-Inspired Looks During Paris Fashion Week
It’s no secret that we love the fashion designs of Brenda Equihua
Photo: Instagram/equihua_official
It’s no secret that we love the fashion designs of Brenda Equihua. She’s creating original styles deeply rooted in our Mexican-American culture. So, when we heard that a French labelMarine Serre was ripping off looks from her Equihua collection you better believe we needed to investigate asap.
In an Instagram post, Equihua writes: “Everyone that knows about EQUIHUA is a witness to the love and the pain that it takes to bring OUR stories to life. This is not a trend. This is not hype. People’s lives are involved. Our cutters, sewers, mentors, patternmakers, our friends, and our community. People DM us telling us how much these pieces mean to them. How they grew up with these blankets. It’s a mother’s love and it’s my entire heart exposed.” She goes on to say that she’s worked extremely hard to deliver a line that is not only close to her heart, but to the Latinx community.
“It wasn’t stolen by Zara or H&M. It was stolen by an @lvmh recipient. I am grateful for everyone that wrote about it and gave this story visibility because this is happening all over the world to so many designers. Those who know, know. I love you! Please help share this story and read the link in our bio. This was on Vogue for two weeks and by the looks of it @marineserre_official definitely saw it. You can’t bully me. I was raised by a strong immigrant Mexican mother y como dice el proverbio ‘They tried to burry us. They didn’t know we were seeds'”
We reviewed Marine Serre’s Spring 2019, Ready-To-Wear collection and at least three looks are weridly similar to Equihua’s original designs. See for yourself:
Marine Serre’s 2019 look.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoL40Zel-Ps/
Equihua’s designs which Vogue covered in March 2018.
Here’s another Marine Serre look.
And Equihua’s jackets.
One more Marine Serre look.
And a Equihua coat.
Marine Serre clearly used the same color palette and the same floral pattern to present Equihua’s San Marcos cobjia-inspired collection.
We reached out to Equihua and she told us that more than anything it is crucial to her that this type of infringement not only needs to end but fashion enthusiasts must know what’s really going on.
She also said that she wants “people to know that we exist and that even though we are a small brand, we believe in the power of community.”
This is obviously not the first time a brand has stolen looks from independent and minority designers. Time and time again, more established designers completely rip off the works of Native Americans, indigenous, Latinx, and black designers. It has to stop!
