Romania | The blouse of discord by Louis Vuitton

(Vaideeni) Vuitton? In the Romanian village of Vaideeni, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, most residents had never heard of the French luxury brand. Until a white blouse embroidered with black patterns appeared in the beach collection.

When they saw a photo of models wearing the famous “ie” model, emblematic of national folklore, at the beginning of June, their blood boiled.

“I don’t accept that our costume is stolen,” fumes Maria Gioanca, one of the last 20 seamstresses in the village of 3,600 inhabitants, met by AFP on the occasion of a recent popular festival highlighting the outfit in joyful parades.

“Why ridicule our fashion?” adds Ioana Staniloiu, 76, who considers the response “very bad”.

The “bohemian” blouse designed by designer Nicolas Ghesquière has caused a stir even at the highest peak of the Eastern European country.

The Ministry of Culture has asked the Louis Vuitton brand (LVMH group) to “recognize the inestimable cultural heritage” of Romania, “a source of inspiration throughout the ages” for creators from all over the world.

From Yves Saint Laurent to Jean Paul Gaultier, from Kenzo to Dior, luxury has often borrowed from Romanian heritage.

But thanks to social networks, reactions are now dazzling and all over the world, more and more people are stepping up to defend themselves against the appropriation of their image by brands.

“Violation of cultural rights”

Eager to avoid the controversy escalating, Vuitton apologized to the Romanian state for the error and discreetly withdrew the product from sale.

Forty of the 60 available copies had already found buyers for several thousand euros each, while it takes Romanian artisans a month to make a blouse according to the rules of the art, at a final price of 300 to 400 euros ($445 to $593).

The information was reported by the Romanian press, but no official announcement has been made. Contacted by AFP, a spokesperson confirmed the veracity of the articles without wishing to comment publicly.

It was an association, “The Romanian Blouse”, that cried foul. Since 2017, it has launched online campaigns to ask brands to “credit” Romania for any clothing inspired by its folklore.

And can boast a certain success: under pressure, the American designer Tory Burch agreed to modify the description of a coat.

In the case of Vuitton, the message published on Facebook, accusing the French group of “violating the cultural rights” of communities, met with a strong response, says founder Andreea Tanasescu.

“Of course we are delighted” about this unexpected spotlight, but “people were hurt that the origin was not mentioned,” she told AFP.

They also did not appreciate that this blouse, sacred in the eyes of Romanians, was relegated to the beach collection.

A lack of tact that could have been avoided if the brand had “spent time with the community and built relationships,” argues this 49-year-old former distribution director, while the ministry has mentioned a possible collaboration with Vuitton through exhibitions and events. “We all have something to gain from it,” she says.

Difficult “transmission of knowledge”

Among industry experts, there is also regret that Vuitton has taken the subject lightly. Florica Zaharia, who opened Romania’s first textile museum in 2018 after almost three decades at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, insists on the importance of protecting “an exceptional aesthetic,” praising the “understated elegance” and “beauty” of these outfits.

The blouse is certainly not patented, but this specific Romanian craft entered UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

But other voices consider such controversies sterile. Instead of “washing dirty linen in public”, it would be better to “ensure the transmission of knowledge to the younger generations”, believes Horatiu Ilea, curator of the Museum of Peasant Culture in Bucharest, advocating concrete training actions.

Ileana Baluta, a 38-year-old schoolteacher who has taken up sewing, feels with age “the pressing need” to perpetuate the tradition and attract new customers.

But among the elders, the anxiety is palpable. Craftswoman Ioana Staniloiu says she is “afraid for the future”: her daughter and four granddaughters have all left the village, forgetting in the process the needlework skills they learned in childhood.