Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's family has asked the Puma brand to take a sportswear collection inspired by the artist off the market.
The legal team representing Mara Romeo, the painter's great-niece, has shot off a letter on July 22 giving the German firm seven days to stop promoting the garments. The lawyers have threatened to sue Puma in Spanish courts if the campaign does not end, El Pais reports.
“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 artist’s family. According to El Pais, the collection of sneakers, sweatshirts, t-shirts, leggings and accessories was launched in collaboration with the Frida Kahlo Corporation, a 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 a decade. The artist’s descendent owns a 49% stake in the company. She accuses the company of having “systematically breached” the agreement signed after the creation of the company, while the corporation claims that the family “ceded all the present and future rights it had without any reservation.” Both parties accuse each other of wanting to “confuse people” and claim control of the brand, the report adds.