In June 2024, Louis Vuitton released its By The Pool summer collection featuring a white blouse with black embroidery that was strikingly similar to the Romanian traditional 'ie' blouse. Villagers in Vaideeni at the foot of the Carpathian mountains accused the French luxury brand of stealing their cultural heritage. An online community dedicated to protecting Romania's cultural heritage called on LV to acknowledge the design's origins.
Romania's Minister of Culture publicly asked Louis Vuitton to acknowledge the Romanian roots of the design. The controversy escalated when the Romanian government formally raised the issue with the brand. Customs and traditions around the 'ie' blouse are inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Louis Vuitton initially did not respond directly, but after mounting pressure from the Romanian government, the brand apologized and withdrew the items. The two sides later entered talks about organizing global events and exhibitions to showcase Romanian artisans, potentially setting a precedent for how luxury brands handle cultural appropriation claims.
After Romania's government intervened, LV apologized, withdrew items, and agreed to showcase Romanian artisans, setting a precedent for cultural appropriation.
Louis Vuitton released a design near-identical to a UNESCO-recognized traditional garment without acknowledging the source culture
The brand treated a living cultural tradition as freely available design inspiration, ignoring the community that created and maintains it
The initial silence forced the Romanian government to escalate, turning a contained design issue into a diplomatic incident
Traditional designs that are UNESCO-recognized carry cultural ownership — using them without credit invites government intervention and reputational damage
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