Overview

• Adidas Mexico legal representative Karen González acknowledged the shoe design corresponds to the tradition of the Hidalgo Yalalag community and issued a public apology.
• The company told community members in Villa Hidalgo Yalalag that it intends to collaborate with them going forward.
• U.S. designer Willy Chavarría, who created the 'Chavarria Oaxaca Slip On' with Adidas, said he deeply regretted not developing the design in direct, meaningful collaboration with the Oaxaca community.
• Oaxaca officials and President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced the use of the traditional Huarache design as cultural appropriation and called for compensation.
• Residents at the community event wore handmade Huarache sandals cited as the model for the contested shoe, underscoring a pattern of similar disputes involving brands like Shein, Zara, and Carolina Herrera.