Fashion designer Chavarria and Adidas are under fire in Mexico, where authorities accuse their latest design of appropriating an Indigenous sandal.
US fashion designer Willy Chavarria has expressed regret on Saturday, after his latest design in collaboration with Adidas Originals caused wide controversy in Mexico.
Authorities in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca have complained that new sandals which bear the name of the state “reinterpreted” a model uniquely found in the area, known as the huarache sandals.
Mexico’s government on Friday announced it was seeking compensation from Adidas, while local authorities angrily accused the design, and its designer and producer by extension, of cultural appropriation.
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What did Chavarria, Adidas say about the Oaxaca Slip-Ons?
Chavarria, whose father is a Mexican-American, addressed the controversy on Saturday.
“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.
He 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 design is said to have originated.
Local authorities have called on Adidas to withdraw the model.
The German athletic corporation said in a Friday letter it “deeply values the cultural wealth of Mexico’s Indigenous people and recognizes 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.
How did Mexican authorities address the Oaxaca controversy?
On Friday, the Mexican government said Adidas had agreed to meet with Oaxaca authorities.
“It’s collective intellectual property. There must be compensation. The heritage law must be complied with,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference Friday.
The incident is only the latest in a string of rows between Mexico and fashion powerhouses it has accused of appropriating Indigenous cultures with high street designs.
Handicrafts serve as a vital economic source of revenue in Mexico, where nearly half a million people across the country make a living out of handmade products.
Some 10% of Mexico’s gross domestic products in states including Oaxaca, Jalisco, Michoacan and Guerrero are owed to the industry.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
DW News
