The controversy has fuelled accusations of cultural appropriation by the footwear brand, with authorities saying this is not the first time traditional Mexican handicrafts have been copied.
Her government is preparing legal reforms to prevent the copying of Mexican handicrafts.
According to Mexican authorities, Adidas’ design contains elements that are part of the cultural heritage of the Zapotec Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, particularly in the town of Villa Hidalgo de Yalálag.
In a public letter to Adidas leadership, Oaxaca state governor Salomón Jara Cruz criticised the company’s design, saying that “creative inspiration” is not a valid justification for using cultural expressions that “provide identity to communities”.
But Marina Núñez, Mexico’s undersecretary of cultural development, noted that they also want to establish guidelines to not deprive artists of “the opportunity to trade or collaborate with several of these companies that have very broad commercial reach”.
