Copying Pacific designs

It is inevitable that people from overseas who like the tapa designs etc. from the islands copy these designs to make money. But how to you monitor this breach of copyright"  Article from the Fiji Times.

Alisi Vucago
Thursday, May 25, 2017

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Australian-based model Asena Rokotuiwai, left, and PNG designer Sarah Haaoda-Todd after the press conference in Suva yesterday. Picture: ATU RASEA

PACIFIC Islanders need to prevent the exploitation of the cultural designs their countries are known for, says Papua New Guinea fashion designer Sarah Haaod Todd.

Ms Todd made this comment at the Fiji Fashion Week press conference yesterday.

She is representing PNG with her label PNGianKala and will join the event with her unique PNG flag inspired collection.

She claimed foreigners had come into her country and remade their traditional shoulder bags known as bilums and sold it to people of PNG at a higher price.

"Each province has a different style to make a bilums and its actually very diverse," she said.

"Traditional belums are woven from the barks of trees and hand-made, however, this has been exploited."

She also stated tattoo designs, which are unique to her culture, had also been used by foreigners without the permission of the traditional owners.

"Amongst us, I call upon governments to penalise any foreigner that comes in and exploits our culture and heritage for monetary gains," she said.

"It is happening right now and it is going to wipe out and commercialise our culture as there is no love, no respect and it doesn't come from within them."

"They're just doing that to make money from us and it has been going on for far too long and getting worse."

Ms Todd encouraged designers to think about lobbying the issue to their governments to ensure there was some kind of protection in place for their heritage which was unique and stood out anywhere in the world.