Minister of Culture Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid and Adidas signed an agreement launching a brand new collection of t-shirts celebrating traditional Moroccan craftsmanship and culture on Wednesday in Rabat.
The new collection will feature the names of Moroccan cities and the country’s artisanal history, along with emblematic motifs such as the “tarz Rbati” (Rbati embroidery) and the “Boucherouit” (the most colorful Berber carpets).
Special attention is being paid to traditional artisans, including women in traditional craft cooperatives.
Moroccan cooperatives and artisans will receive financial remuneration for their contribution to the design of the t-shirts.
The first of these unique pieces of clothing, decorated with paintings illustrating Morocco’s cultural and architectural heritage, go on sale today at Adidas shops across Morocco, before being offered in the brand’s global outlets.
Adidas previously produced football jerseys for the Algerian national football team in 2022 which featured Moroccan “Zellij” or mosaic tile. Morocco’s Ministry of Culture protested and sent a cease and desist letter to the legal representative of Adidas in Germany to alert the company that reproducing these Moroccan designs for Algeria constituted an act of “cultural misappropriation” and “attempted robbery” of one of the ancient forms of traditional Moroccan cultural heritage.
A few days later, Adidas announced that a friendly legal settlement had been reached.
The company confirmed that the design had been inspired by the Moroccan mosaic pattern and that it had no intention of offending anyone.
In a statement, the company assured the Moroccan people of its sincere respect for its traditional handicraft industry, regretted the controversy over the issue, and stated its opposition to any action aimed at cultural appropriation or jeopardizing peoples’ and nations’ historical heritage.