Mexican authorities accuse Adidas of cultural appropriation
Officials in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca accused sportswear giant Adidas of cultural appropriation after the fashion brand debuted sandals similar to a traditional design from the region. The Oaxaca Slip-On sandals were created by American fashion designer Willy Chavarria, who has Mexican heritage, but drew pushback from both state and local officials in Oaxaca, which has one of the highest Indigenous populations in the country.
Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara first addressed the issue during a press conference on Tuesday, saying the sandals were a 'reinterpreted huarache model,' particularly one that was uniquely found in the state. In another instance, Isaias Carranza, a Oaxacan legislator of Indigenous Zapotec descent, wrote on his Facebook account: 'The Adidas company, in conjunction with designer Willy Chavarria, appropriated a unique design of the traditional huaraches (sandals) from the people of the Hidalgo Yalalag village.'
A pair of embroidered huaraches are pictured in a workshop.
Antonino Aceves, a Mexican huarache artisan maker, poses for a photo in his workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker cleans leather to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker cleans leather to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker cleans animal skin to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker cleans animal skin to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker assembles huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker cuts leather to make huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker cuts leather to make huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
Raymundo Cuevas, a Mexican huarache artisan, lays leather out in the sun at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker assembles huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
Huaraches assembling is pictured in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
A worker cuts leather to make huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
Raymundo Cuevas, a Mexican huarache artisan, poses for a photo in his workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag.
Jara also threatened to take legal action against Chavarria. 'This huarache is from Yalalag...we are also going to ask our Yalalag siblings to work with us so we can file a complaint' against the designer, he said at the press conference.
For its part, the Ministry of Cultures and Arts of Oaxaca said in a statement that using cultural elements for commercial purposes without the consent of Indigenous peoples was 'a violation of our collective rights,' demanding that Adidas stop selling the sandals, publicly acknowledge their origin and begin a process of 'dialogue and redress of grievances' with the Yalalag community. The controversy is the latest instance of Mexican officials denouncing major brands or designers using unauthorized Indigenous art or designs from the region, with previous complaints raised about Chinese fast fashion company Shein, Spanish mega-brand Zara and high fashion house Carolina Herrera. Adidas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
11 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Bolivia set to elect first non-left wing president in 20 years
LA PAZ, Bolivia: A center-right senator and a right-wing ex-president will advance to a run-off for Bolivia's presidency after the first round of elections on Sunday, marking the end of two decades of leftist rule, preliminary official results showed. Senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise frontrunner, with 32.15 percent of the vote cast in an election dominated by a deep economic crisis, results published by the electoral commission showed . He was followed by former right-wing president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga in second with 26.87 percent, according to results based on 92 percent of votes cast. Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who had been tipped to finish first, trailed in third with 19.86 percent, while the main leftist candidate, Senate president Andronico Rodriguez, limped to a fourth-place finish. Doria Medina immediately threw his support behind Paz, as the leading opposition candidate. A vote for change Quiroga, who has vowed to overhaul Bolivia's big-state economic model if elected, hailed the outcome as a victory for democracy and for "liberty." Paz, the son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora who has campaigned as a unifier, said the election was a vote for "change" and stressed that his program was "of all, for all." Gustavo Flores-Macias a political scientist at Cornell University in the United States, said Paz's late surge showed people were "tired of the same candidates" repeatedly running for the top job. Doria Medina and Quiroga had three previous failed bids to their names. Flores-Macias also linked Paz's success to a widespread disdain in Bolivia for candidates with links to big business. The vote brings the curtain down on 20 years of socialist rule, which began in 2005 when Evo Morales, an Indigenous coca farmer, was elected president on a radical anti-capitalist platform. Bolivia enjoyed more than a decade of strong growth and Indigenous upliftment under Morales, who led the country from 2006 to 2019. But underinvestment in exploration caused gas revenues — the country's main earner — to implode, eroding the government's foreign currency reserves and leading to shortages of imported fuel and other basics. "The left has done us a lot of harm. I want change for the country," Miriam Escobar, a 60-year-old pensioner, told AFP after voting in La Paz. Political 'dinosaur' Quiroga served as vice-president under ex-dictator Hugo Banzer and then briefly as president when Banzer stepped down to fight cancer in 2001. On his fourth run for president he vowed to slash public spending, open the country to foreign investment and boost ties with the United States, which were downgraded under Morales. Some voters however have balked at his promises of a "small state" and plans to dot the Andean high plains, which contain 30 percent of the world's lithium deposits, with tax-free investment zones. Agustin Quispe, a 51-year-old miner, branded him a "dinosaur" and said he voted for Paz as a "third way" candidate, who was not tainted by association with the traditional right or the socialists. "What people are looking for now, beyond a shift from left to right, is a return to stability," Daniela Osorio Michel, a Bolivian political scientist at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, told AFP. Morales, who was barred from standing for an unconstitutional fourth term, cast a long shadow over the campaign. Nearly one in five voters answered his call to spoil their ballot over his exclusion from the election, shrinking the left-wing vote. Rodriguez, the main leftist candidate, whom Morales branded a "traitor" for contesting the election was stoned while voting in Morales central Cochabamba stronghold. Morales, who has threatened mass protests if the right returns to power, had yet to react to Sunday's results. — AFP
Kuwait Times
21 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Mexican authorities accuse Adidas of cultural appropriation
Huaraches assembling is pictured in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. Officials in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca accused sportswear giant Adidas of cultural appropriation after the fashion brand debuted sandals similar to a traditional design from the region. The Oaxaca Slip-On sandals were created by American fashion designer Willy Chavarria, who has Mexican heritage, but drew pushback from both state and local officials in Oaxaca, which has one of the highest Indigenous populations in the country. Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara first addressed the issue during a press conference on Tuesday, saying the sandals were a 'reinterpreted huarache model,' particularly one that was uniquely found in the state. In another instance, Isaias Carranza, a Oaxacan legislator of Indigenous Zapotec descent, wrote on his Facebook account: 'The Adidas company, in conjunction with designer Willy Chavarria, appropriated a unique design of the traditional huaraches (sandals) from the people of the Hidalgo Yalalag village.' A pair of embroidered huaraches are pictured in a workshop. Antonino Aceves, a Mexican huarache artisan maker, poses for a photo in his workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker cleans leather to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker cleans leather to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker cleans animal skin to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker cleans animal skin to make huaraches at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker assembles huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker cuts leather to make huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker cuts leather to make huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. Raymundo Cuevas, a Mexican huarache artisan, lays leather out in the sun at a tannery in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker assembles huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. Huaraches assembling is pictured in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. A worker cuts leather to make huaraches in a workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. Raymundo Cuevas, a Mexican huarache artisan, poses for a photo in his workshop in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag. Jara also threatened to take legal action against Chavarria. 'This huarache is from are also going to ask our Yalalag siblings to work with us so we can file a complaint' against the designer, he said at the press conference. For its part, the Ministry of Cultures and Arts of Oaxaca said in a statement that using cultural elements for commercial purposes without the consent of Indigenous peoples was 'a violation of our collective rights,' demanding that Adidas stop selling the sandals, publicly acknowledge their origin and begin a process of 'dialogue and redress of grievances' with the Yalalag community. The controversy is the latest instance of Mexican officials denouncing major brands or designers using unauthorized Indigenous art or designs from the region, with previous complaints raised about Chinese fast fashion company Shein, Spanish mega-brand Zara and high fashion house Carolina Herrera. Adidas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — AFP
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
US-India August trade talks called off
New Delhi plans tax cuts to spur growth in face of US tariffs WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: A planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi from August 25-29 has been called off, a source said, delaying talks on a proposed trade agreement and dashing hopes of relief from additional US tariffs on Indian goods from August 27. The current round of negotiations for the proposed bilateral trade agreement is now likely to be deferred to another date that has yet to be decided, the source with direct knowledge of the matter said. The US embassy in New Delhi said it has no additional information on the trade and tariff talks, which are being handled by the United States Trade Representative (USTR). India's trade ministry did not immediately reply to a Reuters email seeking comments. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations. The new import tax, which will come into effect from August 27, will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50 percent - among the highest levied on any US trading partner. Trade talks between New Delhi and Washington collapsed after five rounds of negotiations over disagreement on opening India's vast farm and dairy sectors and stopping Russian oil purchases. India's Foreign Ministry has said the country is being unfairly singled out for buying Russian oil while the United States and European Union continue to purchase goods from Russia. The Indian government has decided to slash the consumption tax it charges consumers and businesses by October, a top official said, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced sweeping tax reforms to boost the economy in the face of a trade conflict with Washington. The federal government will propose a two-rate structure of 5 percent and 18 percent, doing away with the 12 percent and 28 percent tax that was imposed on some items, said the government official, who declined to be named as the plans are still private. The plan is to bring '99 percent' of all the items that are in 12 percent category to 5 percent, the official said. That tax slab includes butter, fruit juices, and dry fruits, and any cuts to the basket could benefit the likes of Nestle to Hindustan Unilever to Procter & Gamble. The tax cut plan comes amid growing tensions between New Delhi and Washington on steep US tariffs on Indian goods. Modi on Friday made a public appeal to promote domestic products, and his supporters have been calling for boycott of American products. Addressing the nation on its 79th independence day, Modi earlier said that the goods and services tax would be reformed and taxes lowered by Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, set to be celebrated in October this year. 'This Diwali, I am going to make it a double Diwali for you. Over the past eight years, we have undertaken a major reform in goods and services tax. We are bringing next-generation GST reforms that will reduce the tax burden across the country,' Modi said. The final decision will be taken by the GST (goods and services taxes) Council, which is chaired by the finance minister and has all the state's finance ministers as members, the official said. The council is set to meet by October. Citi estimates that about 20 percent of items - including packaged food and beverages, apparel and hotel accommodation - fall under the 12 percent GST slab, accounting for 5-10 percent of consumption and 5-6 percent of GST revenue. If most of these are moved to the 5 percent slab and some to the 18 percent slab, it could lead to a revenue loss of around 500 billion rupees, or 0.15 percent of GDP, potentially taking the total policy stimulus for households in the current 2025-26 financial year to 0.6 percent-0.7 percent of GDP, the brokerage said. — Reuters
