As TAEC pointed out, the Oma designs are traditionally used in their headscarves, jackets and leg wraps. However, the fashion label simply used these designs in their collection without even acknowledging that they originated from the Oma groups.
The Oma people, with support from TAEC, have been demanding Max Mara to not only pull the clothing line from its physical and online stores, but to also make a public commitment to not plagiarize cultural designs in the future.
Max Mara has chosen to avoid making any public statements regarding the issue and instead contacted TAEC to take down their post.
“Max Mara has responded!,” a Thursday post on TAEC read. “Unfortunately, they have not admitted any wrongdoing, nor have they committed to acknowledge the Oma or fulfill any of our requests to rectify this situation. In fact, they have instructed us to remove our Facebook posts on the subject.”
After noting how Max Mara’s response was merely an apparent result of public pressure, TAEC reiterated its call of a public apology, commitment to not making a similar mistake, and the immediate removal of the controversial line from their physical stores and online website.
The group has also set up an online
petition via Change.org in a bid to make a collective statement directly to Max Mara CEO Luigi Maramotti.