Romanian Culture Minister Raluca Turcan says she will ask French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to acknowledge that a traditional Romanian blouse directly inspired items in one of its 2024 collections. Turcan said late on June 3 that she would contact the fashion house after a campaign by La Blouse Roumaine, an online community that claimed that it was “cultural appropriation,” pointing to the similarities between the Louis Vuitton blouse and the Romanian “ia” blouse and saying Louis Vuitton should “give credit” to Romanian heritage. The "ia" is recognized as a symbol of the country’s folk culture and was added in 2022 to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
Romania Will Ask Louis Vuitton To Acknowledge UNESCO-Recognized Blouse
A girl wears a traditional Romanian blouse, known as the "ia." (file photo)