Frida Kahlo's family has urged the Puma brand to remove a sportswear collection inspired by the artist from the market.
In a letter sent on Friday, July 22, the legal team representing Mara Romeo, the painter's great-niece, gives the German firm seven days to "definitively withdraw from the promotion" of the garments.
The lawyers have threatened to sue Puma in the Spanish courts if the campaign is not stopped.
"We are obliged to request that you refrain from participating, directly or indirectly, in any commercial initiative that involves the use of the name or image of the painter Frida Kahlo," says the letter signed by Alfonso Durán, representative of the family. of the artist.
It refers to a collection of sneakers, sweatshirts, t-shirts,
leggings
and accessories that Puma launched in collaboration with the Frida Kahlo Corporation, the Panamanian company created in 2004 for the exploitation of trademarks associated with the name of Frida Kahlo.
Romeo, Frida Kahlo's great-niece, has been involved in a legal dispute with the company for almost 10 years, in which the heiress has a 49% stake – the rest belongs to the majority shareholder.
The descendant of the artist accuses the company of having "systematically breached" the agreement signed after the creation of the company, while society claims that the family "ceded all the present and future rights it had without any reservation".
The parties accuse each other of wanting to "confuse people" and claim control of the brand.
In the letter sent on Friday, the team that represents Romeo advises Puma that they have filed at least two lawsuits, one in Panama and one in Spain, against the Frida Kahlo Corporation.
In the first, the family requests precautionary measures and the appointment of "a judicial administration" that is in charge of "defending the interests of society."
In the second, which has already been admitted for processing in Barcelona, the lawyers request the "nullity of any association or co-production agreement" with the Frida Kahlo Corporation "in relation to the improper use of the image and name" of the painter.
"If in the course of the next seven days, you do not formally notify us of your decision to definitively withdraw from the promotion (...) we will proceed without further ado to subjectively expand the lawsuit against you that is being substantiated before the Spanish jurisdiction," says the statement. letter sent to Puma.
A spokesperson for the German brand has told EL PAÍS that the company does not wish to comment on the claim and has referred the Frida Kahlo Corporation "for more information."
A model poses with a jacket from the.RR.SS. collection.
The Panamanian company has pointed out in an email sent to this newspaper that “the class of products and services for the registration of trademarks that corresponds to and protects the Puma collection is class 25″.
"Frida Kahlo Corporation is the owner of said registry," says a spokeswoman for the majority shareholder, who accuses the family of wanting to create "media conflicts" and discredits the "illicit exploitation of her lineage."
“Instead of supporting the Frida Kahlo Corporation's work to generate interest in the artist's art and legacy, the heiresses have misled many by saying that they own the rights assigned to the Frida Kahlo Corporation,” she notes.
The collaboration between Puma and Frida Kahlo Corporation takes place within the framework of the
She Moves Us
initiative , with which the German firm seeks "that all women find strength in themselves."
"Frida Kahlo is a Mexican example of female empowerment," reads Puma's website, which also explains that "the collection seeks to elevate style through designs inspired by the works of art, phrases and culture" of the brand. painter.
They are black, olive green or light green garments with embroidered flowers.
In 2018, the family took a similar action against Mattel to stop the marketing of a
Barbie
doll inspired by Frida Kahlo, a slender figure with braids, dressed in a black shirt, blue skirt and red shawl.
Justice imposed precautionary measures and the sale was stopped in Mexico, although the doll, a limited edition, was sold out in the rest of the world.
A Mexican judge finally lifted the measures against the Frida Kahlo Corporation because the court declared itself "incompetent" to resolve the case, according to the December 2021 ruling consulted by this newspaper.
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