Authorities of the South Mexican state of Oaxaca accused the Herzogenaurach sporting goods manufacturer Adidas on Wednesday. The accusation refers to the introduction of a sandal model that is supposedly a copy of a traditional design from the region.
The state government and a local member criticized that the introduction of the Oaxaca Slip-on model, which was designed by the American Designer Mexican origin Willy Chavarria in cooperation with Adidas, was not approved and did not recognize the actual author.
“The company Adidas, together with the designer Willy Chavarria, acquired a unique design of the traditional Huaraches (sandals) of the population of Villa Hidalgo Yalalag”, wrote Isaías Carranza, a local member of Zapotek, on his Facebook account on Wednesday. Salomón Jara, Governor of Oaxaca, also appealed to the case on Tuesday during a press conference. He showed pictures of the sandals introduced by the German brand and confirmed that footwear was a “newly interpreted Huarache model” that had its origin in the state of Oaxaca.
He also threatened with legal steps against Chavarria. “This Huarache comes from Yalalag (…). We will ask our Yaltanian brothers to work with us to submit a complaint against the artist,” added Jara in the conference.
The Ministry of Culture and Art by Oaxaca said in a message that the takeover of cultural elements of indigenous peoples without their consent for commercial purposes was “a violation of their collective rights”. Adidas therefore asked to “stop selling the Oaxaca Slip-on model immediately” to initiate a process of “dialogue and reparation” with the municipality of Yalalag and publicly recognize the origin of the design.
Chavarria, who emphasizes his Chicano origin in his creations, stood in the crossfire of criticism at the end of June, after the Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele accused him of “glorifying criminals” during his fashion shows at the Parisian fashion week. During this fashion show, several tattooed men knelt down in white T-shirts and shorts, which was reminiscent of the attitude that is imposed on the inmates of the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), the high-security prison built by Bukele for the detention of gang members.
In recent years, Mexico has the cultural appropriation and the unauthorized use of the art of its indigenous peoples through large brands and designers: inside like the Chinese company Shein, the Spanish company Zara or Venezolan designer Carolina Herrera.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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