Adidas apologized to the indigenous people of Mexico for designing a controversial sandal
After criticisms over the design of a sandal by the sports equipment manufacturer Adidas, the company publicly apologized to representatives of the indigenous people in southern Mexico
Karen Gonzalez, Adidas’ representative in Mexico, made this apology officially during a ceremony among the indigenous people of the state
Adidas in Mexico had been accused of cultural appropriation
In this ceremony, which included music and dance, the indigenous people participated wearing traditional clothing
They wore hand-stitched sandals that inspired the controversial huarache sandal model
American designer Willy Chavarria designed this shoe model based on indigenous Mexican sandals
Claudia Sheinbaum, the President of Mexico, had previously condemned the commercialization of a tradition without the creators’ consent
The Ministry of Culture and Arts of the autonomous state of Oaxaca described this apology as a historic step toward recognizing the indigenous peoples there
Adidas has announced that this product has not yet entered the market