«Это часть моей семейной истории»: студентка обвинила Balenciaga в плагиате

26 июля 2020 08:30

Ча Ми Нгуен — студентка Берлинского университета искусств — рассказала, что Balenciaga скопировали ее работу! По ее словам, точная копия ее дипломного проекта — мотоцикл в одежде — появилась в официальном Instagram бренда, а ещё год назад представители Balenciaga приезжали к ней в университет и просили выслать портфолио. Ответа она, правда, не получила.

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A post shared by Balenciaga (@balenciaga) on Jul 21, 2020 at 6:09am PDT

«Эта работа — часть моей личной семейной истории. Моя мать продала свой мотоцикл, чтобы иммигрировать в Германию. Вьетнамская культура мотоциклов была основным направлением моей работы в течение последних нескольких лет, — объясняет Нгуен в своем инстаграме. — Я чувствую, что меня предали и оскорбили, потому что это часть моей культуры, это художественный процесс, а не случайная модная фотография, от которой вы можете получить прибыль!» — поделилась Ча Ми в Instagram.

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Five textile sculptures made up of an assemblage of UV protection clothes from Vietnam. From the project ‘using one’s feet has become an option of last resort’. 🧩 Graphics: @ozansanal

A post shared by 𝑻𝒓𝒂 𝑴𝒚 𝑵𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒆𝒏 (@tra.my1) on Dec 15, 2019 at 12:40pm PST

На историю, кстати, обратил внимание разоблачающий аккаунт Diet Prada, опубликовавший заявление студентки в своём профиле. После этого под фото мотоцикла в Instagram Balenciaga появились десятки негативных комментариев с требованием принести Ча Ми официальное извинения и удалить пост! Представители бренда, правда, пока не прокомментировали ситуацию.

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@balenciaga is known to turn out some of the most innovative runway presentations of the last few years and their sculptural silhouettes honor the house’s legacy while expanding upon it. Unfortunately, a lot of this mastery seems lost in translation between departments. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In June 2019, artist Tra My Nguyen ( @tra.my1 ) , then a student at Berlin University of the Arts, explored Vietnam's female motorbike culture for her master’s project. Drawing inspiration from her own family history wherein her mother sold her bike in order to immigrate to Germany, she collaged and wrapped clothing over motorbikes to create “wearable sculptures.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The next month, a “recruiter” from Balenciaga attended a master’s presentation and requested Nguyen's portfolio. Already in hand, she followed up again in October with a request for photos of her current collection. The Balenciaga creative development strategist, whose position was verified through LinkedIn, told Nguyen they were looking for interns. After sending her portfolio with multiple process images, she never received a reply. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now, Balenciaga’s Instagram feed shows a near identical image to Nguyen’s sculpture, but wrapped in Balenciaga clothing. Even the backdrop and angle of the photograph is uncannily similar, though the caption made no mention of the inspiration or credit to Nguyen. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As the creative director of Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia knows full well the power a luxury brand has to elevate the work of independent creatives. For his inaugural Balenciaga SS17 menswear collection, he tapped British menswear designer Martine Rose to consult. Rose, then a relative outsider who founded her label a decade prior, was encouraged by Gvasalia to publicize their partnership, which elevated her profile and was pivotal in growing her namesake business. But too often, brands choose the easier route of copying, while unwittingly leaving a trail of receipts. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In Nguyen’s Instagram post, she implored Balenciaga about their post. “What is your inspiration? Why are you even draping garments over a motorbike? What do you want to tell us with this pic!,” she said. “I am not your moodboard!”

A post shared by Diet Prada ™ (@diet_prada) on Jul 23, 2020 at 12:48pm PDT