Mexico has accused Adidas of cultural appropriation of the traditional huarache sandal footwear design, say the sportswear giant took the design idea from the Indigenous peoples in Oaxaca
Mexico’s 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.
Adidas’s new Oaxaca Slip-On was created by United States fashion designer Willy Chavarria, who has Mexican heritage.
But the footwear has drawn strong pushback from officials in Mexico’s 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.
“It’s collective intellectual property. There must be compensation. The heritage law must be complied with,” Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her regular news conference on Friday.
“Big companies often take products, ideas and designs from Indigenous communities,” Sheinbaum said.
“We are looking at the legal part to be able to support them,” she said.
thelastaxolotl in indigenous
Mexico has accused Adidas of cultural appropriation of the traditional huarache sandal footwear design, say the sportswear giant took the design idea from the Indigenous peoples in Oaxaca
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/9/adidas-accused-of-cultural-appropriation-by-mexico-over-new-footwear-designFull Article