Business reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n US fashion designer Willy Chavarria has apologised after a shoe he created in collaboration with Adidas Originals was criticised for “cultural appropriation”.<\/p>\n The Oaxaca Slip-On was inspired by traditional leather sandals known as huaraches made by Indigenous artisans in Mexico.<\/p>\n The Mexican president was among those who spoke out against the footwear, which was reportedly made in China without consultation or credit to the communities who originated the design.<\/p>\n Chavarria said in a statement sent to the BBC: “I am deeply sorry that the shoe was appropriated in this design and not developed in direct and meaningful partnership with the Oaxacan community.” The BBC has contacted Adidas for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cultural appropriation is defined as “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, of one people or society by members of a typically more dominant people or society”.<\/p>\n Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum told a press conference: “Big companies often take products, ideas and designs from Indigenous communities.”<\/p>\n She added: “We are looking at the legal part to be able to support them.”<\/p>\n Adidas had contacted Oaxacan officials to discuss “restitution to the people who were plagiarised”, Mexico’s deputy culture minister Marina Nunez added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Promotional images of the black moulded open-toe footwear have been taken down from the brand’s social media accounts as well as Chavarria’s. <\/p>\n In his statement, Chavarria said he wanted “to speak from the heart about the Oaxaca slip-on I created with Adidas”.<\/p>\n “The intention was always to honor the powerful cultural and artistic spirit of Oaxaca and its creative communities – a place whose beauty and resistance have inspired me. The name Oaxaca is not just a word – its living culture, its people, and its history.”<\/p>\n He went on to say he was “deeply sorry” he did not work with the Oaxacan community on the design.<\/p>\n “This falls short of the respect and collaborative approach that Oaxaca, the Zapotec community of Villa Hidalgo Yalalag, and its people deserve,” he added.<\/p>\n “I know love is not just given – it is earned through action.”<\/p>\n Chavarria was Calvin Klein’s senior vice president of design until 2024 and is the founder and chief creative officer of his eponymous label. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In an emailed statement, Adidas told the BBC that it \u201crecognizes and values the cultural richness of Mexico’s Indigenous communities and the meaning of their artisanal heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2019Oaxaca Slip-On\u2018 was inspired by a design from Oaxaca, rooted in the tradition of Villa Hidalgo Yal\u00e1lag. We offer a public apology and reaffirm our commitment to collaborate with Yal\u00e1lag in a respectful dialogue that honors their cultural legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/9624\/live\/7bb5b0e0-75e9-11f0-b124-379f3981c765.jpg.webp\")
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Jes\u00fas M\u00e9ndez\/EPA\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n