The sportswear firm Adidas and Mexican-American designer Willy Chavarría have apologized after a Mexican state accused them of cultural appropriation over the design of a new shoe.

Willy Chavarria officially apologized to the people of Oaxaca on Saturday after the slip-on shoe he designed with Adidas unleashed a string of online criticism.

Critics in Mexico argued that the shoe uses the name of the southern Mexican state, a major manufacturer of the traditional leather sandals, while Chavarria's design is manufactured in China and Indigenous artisans received no credit or benefit from the multinational firm.