Mexican authorities have denounced sportswear company Adidas, a plagiarized artisan in southern Mexico, claiming that the new sandal designs look amazingly similar to traditional indigenous footwear known as Huaraches.
The controversy has encouraged accusations of cultural appropriation by footwear brands. Officials say this is not the first time traditional Mexican handicrafts have been copied. Citing these concerns, local governments asked Adidas to withdraw their shoe model.
Mexican President Claudia Sinbaum said Friday that Adidas has already provided “compensation for people who have been plagiarized” with authorities in southern Mexico’s state of Oaxaca, and that her government is preparing legal reforms to prevent copies of Mexican handicrafts.
The design at the heart of the controversy is the Oaxaca Slip-On, a sandal created by US designer Willie Chavalia for the adidas original. The sandals feature thin leather straps woven in a style that is undoubtedly similar to traditional Mexican huaraches. Instead of flat leather backing, Adidas shoes advertise the soles of thicker sports shoes.
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Mexican authorities say the adidas design includes elements that are part of the cultural heritage of the Indigenous Zapotec community in Oaxaca, particularly the town of Villa Hidalgo de Yararag. Handicrafts are Mexico’s important economic lifelines, providing employment to approximately 500,000 people nationwide. The industry accounts for around 10% of the gross domestic product of states such as Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacan and Guerrero.
For Viridiana Jarquíngarcía, a huaraches creator and vendor in the Oaxaca capital, Adidas’ shoes were “cheap copies” of works that Mexican artists spent time and working.
“The artistry is lost. We are lost in tradition,” she said in front of a small booth of leather shoes.
Oaxaca officials have called for the withdrawal of the “Oaxaca slip-on” and have called for a public apology from Adidas, describing the design as “cultural appropriation” that could violate Mexican law.
In an open letter to Adidas’ leadership, Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jala Cruz criticized the company’s design, saying that “creative inspiration” was not a valid justification for using cultural expressions that “provide identity to the community.”
“The culture is not sold and is respected,” he added.
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Adidas responded in a letter Friday afternoon, saying the company “has a deep appreciation of the cultural wealth of Mexico’s indigenous peoples and is aware of the relevance of criticism.” He sat down with local officials and asked Indigenous people to discuss ways that could be “repaired the damage.”
This controversy pushes back the major global clothing brands copying traditional designs following years of efforts by Mexican governments and artisans.
In 2021, the federal government provided manufacturers such as Zara, Anthropologie and Patowl with public explanations as to why they would copy and sell clothing designs from Oaxaca’s Indigenous communities in store.
Now, Mexican authorities say they are trying to develop stricter regulations to protect artists. However, Marina Nunez, executive director of Mexico’s cultural development, said they wanted to establish guidelines so that they would not rob artists of “the opportunity to trade or cooperate with some of these companies that have a very broad commercial scope.”
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