Mexico wants Adidas to pay up

10/8/2025 5:43

Mexico is looking for footwear giant Adidas to

pony up after a Mexican-American designer, Willy Chavarria,

working with the firm launched a shoe inspired by a traditional

Indigenous sandal, authorities said on Friday.



Chavarria, who has been hailed in the United States for his

work bringing Latino issues to light - including his

controversial collection touching on the alleged gang members

locked up at El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison - recently

dropped the "Oaxaca Slip On" shoe, a sneaker sole topped with

the weave of Mexico's huarache sandals.



Critics in Mexico argued that the shoe uses the name of the

southern Mexican state, a major manufacturer of the traditional

leather sandals, while Chavarria's design is manufactured in

China and Indigenous artisans received no credit or benefit from

the multinational firm.



"Big companies often take products, ideas and designs from

Indigenous communities," Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said

in her morning press conference. "We are looking at the legal

part to be able to support them."



Deputy Culture Minister Marina Nunez confirmed that Adidas

had contacted Oaxacan officials to discuss "restitution to the

people who were plagiarized."



The dispute is the latest by Mexico to protect its

traditional designs from global fashion firms, having previously

lodged complaints against Zara-owner Inditex and Louis Vuitton.



Chavarria said in a statement on Saturday that he was

"deeply sorry that the shoe was appropriated in this design and

not developed in direct and meaningful partnership with the

Oaxacan community."



His approach fell short of the respect the community

deserved, he said, stating that his intention had always been to

"honor the powerful cultural and artistic spirit of Oaxaca and

its creative communities," the statement added.



Adidas did not respond to a request for comment.



Chavarria, born in the United States to an Irish-American

mother and a Mexican-American father, had told Sneaker News in a

prior interview that he had intended to celebrate his cultural

heritage through his work with Adidas.