Adidas publicly asks indigenous in Mexico for forgiveness

Unusual act of reconciliation: After violent criticism of a sandal design, the sporting goods manufacturer Adidas has Indigenous representatives in southern Mexico publicly asked for forgiveness. A representative of Adidas Mexico, Karen González, apologized at an event in the affected community in Villa Hidalgo Yalálag in the state of Oaxaca. In Mexico, the company was accused of cultural appropriation.

At the event with music and dance, there were also indigenous people: inside in traditional clothing. They wore the handmade Huarache sandals, which served as a model for the controversial “Oaxaca Slip-on” from Adidas.

The US designer Willy Chavarria had designed the shoe model based on the example of the sandals from Oaxaca. The Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had criticized the commercialization of a tradition without the express consent of her creators.

Adidas undertakes to cooperate

After a meeting with local authorities, the Adidas representative read an apology letter to residents of the community. “We understand that this situation could have caused trouble and publicly apologize for it,” said González on behalf of Adidas. “We will avoid it in the future without acting your guidance and cooperation,” she promised.

The Ministry of Culture and Art by Oaxaca described the apology as the “historical act of recognizing the indigenous peoples of Oaxacas”. According to a report by the newspaper ‘La Jornada’, Adidas announced that the product had not yet been marketed.