UK lingerie firm launches ‘Coco de Mer’ sex toys, Seychellois online outraged |01 October 2021
Can an endemic nut and symbol of Seychelles be associated with a sex toy? Can a nut found only in Seychelles and definitely not in Covent Garden in London be trademarked outside of Seychelles?
These questions were sparked by a TikTok video, made by a Seychellois, calling out the UK lingerie brand Coco de Mer London for cultural appropriation of the endemic nut, following the brand’s recent launch of its Coco de Mer sex toys line.
In the video, Jeff Kissubi describes the sex toy that is shaped similarly to the Coco de Mer seed as a blasphemy and disrespectful to Seychelles, adding that this is not how one of our national symbols should be represented across the world.
The Seychellois currently residing in Australia explained to Seychelles NATION that he was intrigued when he first saw Coco de Mer London pop up on his Instagram’s explore page and was curious as to why they had that name.
“Look, I’m a Seychellois and have resided overseas for over eight years, and being here in Australia, I see how people’s cultures are appropriated and stolen with people not getting credit for it and seeing others make millions off the back of ideas or things that do not belong to them,” explained Kissubi.
“It makes me so furious to see something that is so sacred for Seychelles being sexualised and disrespected like this […] I also have a large following on Tik Tok which is where I have called them [the Coco de Mer company] out,” he added.
Kissubi noted that the brand invalidates and misconstrues the origin and significance of the Coco de Mer which is mainly found in the Vallée de Mai on Praslin, a Unesco heritage site.
To note, Coco de Mer London is a registered trademark under Coco de Mer Ltd and is based in London, UK.
The 20-year-old company began as a small boutique in London’s Covent Garden and has gradually become renowned for its sensual lingerie, featuring on online stores such as Net-A-porter, Asos, and Selfridge.
On its own website, Coco de Mer does not cite any link to or inspiration from Seychelles’ endemic nut and simply describes Coco de Mer as the Home of Pleasure “a brand built by and run by women for women”.
Other Seychellois online have also expressed their discontent and outright anger at this, enquiring whether or not there are legislations in place to address issues where national symbols and unique flora and fauna of the Seychelles are appropriated by companies abroad.
To protect objects and symbols of cultural importance to the Seychelles, some have called for the enacting of legislations similar to UK’s Scotch Whisky Regulations (2009) which requires a whisky to be only called Scotch if it is distilled in Scotland. International agreements have made this legislation binding in a number of countries.
Elsie Pointe
