Portugal, furious with an American designer

In the 19th century, fishermen from Póvoa de Varzim began to wear a hand-embroidered woolen sweater that is already part of their heritage. Now, an American designer has put up for sale an identical piece for 695 euros, angered the Portuguese and risks ending up in court.

It was sold as a “clean creation” inspired by Baja California, Mexico, but the American sweater Tory Burch is identical to “poveira sweater” traditional of this fishing village in northern Portugal, so much so that even It has as detail a coat of arms of the Portuguese monarchy.

The biggest difference, the price: In Póvoa, any tourist can buy it for around 60 euros.

In white wool and decorated with cross-stitch patterns, the “poveira camisole” was embroidered by the fishermen themselves and later passed into the hands of their wives and mothers, but it is not just another garment, by its meaning.

It was marked by a maritime tragedy which ended with the deaths of over a hundred people in 1892, many of whom were dressed in this sweater, which fell into oblivion until it was recovered until the twentieth century, due to its cultural and historical value. .

It is “a true representative symbol of the struggle of the popular class against adversity”The mayor of Póvoa de Varzim, Aires Henrique Pereira, assures in a letter sent to EFE that he demands “a fair reparation” from the community of Poveira, in particular from the local artisans.

Outrage among the Portuguese

Pereira is just one more face of the blisters the issue has raised among the Portuguese, who have raced to fill the American creator’s website and social media with comments of outrage at what they see as a cultural appropriation.

“You should be ashamed of stealing the cultural heritage of a country”, an accused user. “It’s piracy,” “the sweater is ours,” others said.

The outcry led the designer to issue an apology for not referring to the “beautiful and traditional fisherman’s sweaters so representative of Póvoa de Varzim” and to removing any reference to Mexico on her website, where several mentions of their origin poveiro have been added.

However, apologies are not enough for Póvoa de Varzim, who demanded that the brand, in addition to maintaining references to the Poveiro people and linking to the municipality’s website, reveal the historical origins of the coin, finance an artisanal training center dedicated to making sweaters.

He also wants the new models or versions of the “camisola poveira” are produced in Portugal by local artisans, as well as establishing a collaboration with the brand to promote cultural diversity.

But negotiations between Tory Burch and Póvoa were unsuccessful, and the city council reported that decided to sue the brand.

You will not be alone. The Portuguese government itself announced that it would identify “judicial and extrajudicial means” against “the misappropriation of important Portuguese intangible heritage”, and demanded compensation for the community of Poveira.

After having read this announcement, the sweater disappeared from the designer’s online store, who was included in Forbes magazine’s list of the 100 Most Powerful Women of 2020.

New plagiarism complaints

The controversy did not end only with the “poveira straitjacket”. The case led the Portuguese to take a close look at Burch’s designs, among which It was not long before they found what they considered to be new “plagiarism”.

This time, the person affected is Bordalo Pinheiro, an artist renowned in the country, among other creations, for his ceramics of naturalistic inspiration.

It was a dinner service called “Laitue” (“lettuce”) that again set off the alarm to be almost identical to the famous “Couve” (“col”) by Bordalo Pinheiro.

The ceramic brand named after its creator, who died more than a century ago, has also reacted to the controversy.

“For us, there are things that are worth more than the price. Appreciation of creativity, tradition, originality, history (…) This is why our greatest reward is your preference, your fidelity and the recognition of what is authentic ”, he writes on his Instagram profile.

As of yet, he has not announced whether he will take any action on the matter.