Adidas designer is accused of 'culturally appropriating' traditional sandals from Mexico as country's president calls for 'compensation'

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

An Adidas designer has apologised for 'appropriating' a traditional slip-on shoe style from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
US fashion mogul Willy Chavarria, 58, who previously served as the Senior Vice President of Design at Calvin Klein, revealed he regrets that the sandals he created together with the brand were not 'developed in a meaningful partnership' with the community.
The 'Oaxaca Slip-On' was inspired by traditional leather sandals known as huaraches made by indigenous artisans in the Latin American nation.
Chavarria, who is himself of Mexican heritage, acknowledged that the sandals 'did not live up to the respect and collaborative approach' deserved by the community of Villa Hidalgo Yalalag, from where the original design is said to have come.
The shoes feature thin leather straps braided in a style that is unmistakably similar to the traditional Hispanic artistry.
However instead of flat soles, the Adidas offering tout a more chunky, sports platform.
According to Mexican authorities, Adidas' design contains elements that are part of the cultural heritage of the Zapotec Indigenous communities in Oaxaca - and the country's government said it would be seeking compensation from the company.
'I deeply regret that this design has appropriated the name and was not developed in direct and meaningful partnership with the Oaxacan community,' Chavarria said in a statement sent to AFP.
On Friday, the Mexican government revealed that Adidas had agreed to meet with Oaxaca authorities.
'It's collective intellectual property. There must be compensation. The heritage law must be complied with,' President Claudia Sheinbaum said during a press conference.
Handicrafts are a crucial economic lifeline in Mexico, providing jobs for around half a million people across the country.
The industry accounts for around 10 percent of the gross domestic product of states like Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacán and Guerrero.
For Viridiana Jarquín García, a huaraches creator and vendor in Oaxaca's capital, the Adidas shoes were a 'cheap copy' of the kind of work that Mexican artists take time and care to craft.
'The artistry is being lost. We're losing our tradition,' she told the Associated Press, in front of her small booth of leather shoes.
Authorities in Oaxaca have further called for the 'Oaxaca Slip-On' to be withdrawn and demanded a public apology from Adidas, with officials describing the design as 'cultural appropriation' that may violate Mexican law.
In a public letter to Adidas leadership, Oaxaca state Gov. Salomón Jara Cruz criticised the company's design, saying that 'creative inspiration' is not a valid justification for using cultural expressions that 'provide identity to communities.'
US fashion designer Willy Chavarria, who previously served as the Senior Vice President of Design at Calvin Klein, revealed he regrets that the sandals he created together with Adidas 'appropriated' a traditional design
'Culture isn't sold, it's respected,' he added.
Adidas responded in a letter saying that the company 'deeply values the cultural wealth of Mexico's Indigenous people and recognises the relevance' of the criticisms.
It requested to sit down with local officials and to discuss how it can 'repair the damage' to Indigenous populations.
Mexican authorities have since said they're trying to work out stricter regulations in an effort to protect artists.
But Marina Núñez, Mexico's undersecretary of cultural development, noted that they also want to establish guidelines to not deprive artists of 'the opportunity to trade or collaborate with several of these companies that have very broad commercial reach.'
In 2022, Ralph Lauren apologised after the wife of Mexico's president accused the luxury US clothes brand of plagiarising indigenous designs, which she described as an appropriation of the work of the country's pre-Hispanic cultures.
Beatriz Gutierrez posted a photo of a $360 (£267) Ralph Lauren cardigan with colorful indigenous motifs, which she said appropriated the designs of the Conta and Saltillio peoples in Mexico.
'Hey Ralph (Lauren): we already realised that you really like Mexican designs,' she said in an Instagram post.
'Hey Ralph (Lauren): we already realized that you really like Mexican designs,' Gutierrez, a writer and researcher, said in an Instagram post. 'However, by copying these designs you are committing plagiarism, which is illegal and immoral.'
'However, by copying these designs you are committing plagiarism, which is illegal and immoral.'
'Hopefully you repair the damage to the original communities that do this work with love and not for profit,' Gutierrez added, attributing the designs to the indigenous communities of Contla and Saltillo.
Ralph Lauren told Reuters it was 'surprised' to learn the product was still being sold, after issuing a directive to remove it from its channels after discovering it some months previously.
'We are deeply sorry this happened and, as always, we are open to dialogue about how we can do better,' it said in a statement.
The U.S. fashion retailer has pledged that all new products using indigenous designs following its summer 2023 season will be created under a model of 'credit and collaboration'.
DailyMail.com also found that the Ralph Lauren cardigan was being sold on Zalando's UK online site for £349.99 ($389.75).
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador launched an intense campaign to reclaim relics of Mexico's pre-Columbian heritage since taking office in 2018, including lodging complaints against auction houses in the United States and Europe, and recovering dozens of Mexican antiques.