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3w ago

Adidas and Chavarria Open Restitution Talks Over Huarache Design Dispute

The apology precedes talks under Mexico’s 2022 heritage legislation that could lead to compensation or stronger protections for Indigenous cultural property.

Sandals known as "huaraches" are displayed for sale at a market in Oaxaca, Mexico, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)
Marina Nunez Bespalova, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Cultural Development, speaks during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference at the National Palace to condemn Adidas and designer Willy Chavarria over the “Oaxaca Slip On” shoe, in Mexico City on August 8.
Image
Willy Chavarria, who designed the 'Oaxaca Slip-On,' at the Mark Hotel on May 5, 2025, in New York.

Overview

  • Adidas and designer Willy Chavarría formally apologized for the Oaxaca Slip-On’s replication of Zapotec huarache motifs without direct community partnership.
  • The brands have requested negotiations with Oaxaca authorities, with the federal Ministry of Culture and National Copyright Institute set to mediate under heritage-IP rules.
  • No agreement has been reached on compensation, product withdrawal or a formal community partnership, and negotiations remain ongoing.
  • President Claudia Sheinbaum and Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara Cruz have both pushed for legal remedies and signaled plans for tighter Indigenous design protections.
  • The dispute has intensified scrutiny of global brands’ use of Indigenous cultural expressions and underscored demands for direct benefit-sharing with artisanal communities.