{"id":131472,"date":"2025-08-09T10:23:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T10:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/131472\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T10:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T10:23:13","slug":"adidas-accused-of-cultural-appropriation-by-mexico-over-new-footwear-design-business-and-economy-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/131472\/","title":{"rendered":"Adidas accused of cultural appropriation by Mexico over new footwear design | Business and Economy News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mexican officials say sportswear giant took design idea from Indigenous community in country\u2019s southern Oaxaca state.<\/p>\n

Mexico\u2019s government is seeking compensation from Adidas, accusing the sportswear giant of cultural appropriation for launching a new shoe design strikingly similar to traditional Indigenous footwear known as huaraches.<\/p>\n

Adidas\u2019s new Oaxaca Slip-On was created by United States fashion designer Willy Chavarria, who has Mexican heritage.<\/p>\n

But the footwear has drawn strong pushback from officials in Mexico\u2019s southern state of Oaxaca, who say no authorisation was given by the Indigenous community, in the village of Villa de Hidalgo Yalalag, behind the original design.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s collective intellectual property. There must be compensation. The heritage law must be complied with,\u201d Mexico\u2019s President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her regular news conference on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig companies often take products, ideas and designs from Indigenous communities,\u201d Sheinbaum said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking at the legal part to be able to support them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The government said that Adidas representatives had agreed to meet with Oaxaca authorities.<\/p>\n

\"MarinaMexico\u2019s Undersecretary of Cultural Development Marina Nunez Bespalova, right, alongside President Claudia Sheinbaum, left, at a news conference to condemn Adidas and US designer Willy Chavarria in Mexico City, Mexico, on August 8, 2025 [Handout\/Presidency of Mexico via Reuters]<\/p>\n

In a public letter to Adidas, Oaxaca state governor, Salomon Jara Cruz, criticised the company\u2019s design \u2013 which has a sneaker sole topped with the weave of huarache sandals \u2013 saying that \u201ccreative inspiration\u201d is not a valid justification for using cultural expressions that \u201cprovide identity to communities\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cCulture isn\u2019t sold, it\u2019s respected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mexican news outlet Periodico Supremo said the country\u2019s National Institute of Indigenous Peoples will launch a legal challenge over the Adidas design, and asked followers on social media: \u201cAre you going to buy them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udd34 Est\u00e1n \u201cpadres\u201d\u2026.\ud83e\ude74<\/p>\n

Gobierno de #M\u00e9xico<\/a> defiende propiedad intelectual ind\u00edgena, en contra de la reconocida marca ADIDAS (@adidas<\/a>)<\/p>\n

El INPI (@INPImx<\/a>) reclamar\u00e1 legalmente el uso indebido del dise\u00f1o tradicional de guaraches originarios de Villa Hidalgo Yal\u00e1lag, #Oaxaca<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00bfVas a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KPtrfZMLGC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 PERI\u00d3DICO SupreMo \ud83d\udd34 (@Diario_Supremo) August 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Translation: <\/strong>The government of Mexico defends Indigenous intellectual property, against the well-known brand ADIDAS. The INPI will legally challenge the improper use of the traditional design of huaraches originating from Villa Hidalgo Yalalag, Oaxaca. Are you going to buy them?<\/p>\n

The controversy is the latest instance of Mexican officials denouncing major clothing brands or designers using unauthorised Indigenous art or designs from the region, with previous complaints raised about fast fashion juggernaut Shein, Spain\u2019s Zara and high-end labels Carolina Herrera and Louis Vuitton.<\/p>\n

Mexico\u2019s Deputy Culture Minister Marina Nunez confirmed Adidas had contacted Oaxacan officials to discuss \u201crestitution to the people who were plagiarised\u201d.<\/p>\n

Neither Adidas nor the designer Chavarria, who was born in the US to an Irish-American mother and a Mexican-American father, immediately responded to requests for comment from reporters.<\/p>\n

Chavarria had previously told Sneaker News that he had intended to celebrate his cultural heritage through his work with Adidas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud to work with a company that really respects and elevates culture in the truest way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Handicrafts are a crucial economic lifeline in Mexico, providing jobs for about half a million people across the country. The industry accounts for approximately 10 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of states such as Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacan and Guerrero.<\/p>\n

For Viridiana Jarquin Garcia, a huaraches creator and vendor in Oaxaca\u2019s capital, the Adidas shoes were a \u201ccheap copy\u201d of the kind of work that Mexican artists take time and care to craft.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe artistry is being lost. We\u2019re losing our tradition,\u201d she said in front of her small booth of leather shoes.<\/p>\n

\"SandalsSandals known as \u2018huaraches\u2019 are displayed for sale at a market in Oaxaca, Mexico, on August 8, 2025 [Luis Alberto Cruz\/AP Photo]