Does Adidas New Sneaker Invoke Images of Slavery? [Cancels Shoe]
Adidas has given new meaning to “A Slave For Fashion” but find out why their new design is causing such an uproar.
The shoes are called the JS Roundhouse Mids, and were featured in June 14th’s Adidas Originals Facebook page.
The purple and orange sneakers come with a set of plastic shackles that strap around the ankles.
“Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?”
the company asked in the Facebook post. The post was “liked” by more than 36,000 people by Monday morning and had received more than 2,000 comments but the reaction was mainly negative.
These shoes are the WORST idea EVER! Really, were supposed to voluntarily buy shackles now?! wrote one commenter.
Who ever wears this is openly saying they are a slave, said another.
A writer for IndieWire wondered if the shoes were inspired by slave-movie-fever and asked if the brand could really be ignorant of what the design of these new kicks might suggest. In a statement to the Daily News on Monday, Adidas dismissed the criticism.
“The design of the JS Roundhouse Mid is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scotts outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery,” the company said.
“Jeremy Scott is renowned as a designer whose style is quirky and lighthearted and his previous shoe designs for adidas Originals have, for example, included panda heads and Mickey Mouse. Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful.”
Adidas confirmed the shoes will hit stores in August. However due to the recent backlash, CNN has reported that the company has cancelled the release of the shoe.
A handful of Adidas fans also defended the design and brushed off the criticism.
These are just bloody shoes! one wrote. Youre making too much of a hassle about this, bringing in racism when its not even intended.
The shoes were previewed in February by the blog Kicks on Fire, which called them handcuff shoes, but controversy didnt bubble up until the image was posted on the Adidas page.
So I ask you guys “Is this the WORST MARKETING IDEA EVER?”
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Forget the slavery concept they are just a horrible fashion decision
June 19, 2012 at 11:00 am
sarcastically or with inefction in the underlying tone of a message sent, without those basic ways of communication things can get lost in the mix and a misunderstanding can occur from not knowing the context of the text. Either people can take something the wrong way or feeling can get hurt because of it. But even looking at facebook and twitter it de-socializes people by idolizing others lives with lively events that people can envy over. I have a facebook but it is only to keep in the loop with events that I have the ability to go to and participate, not watching Emily go to a party last weekend and laugh at the silly pictures they took. People put themselves on a pedestal and exclaim about their lives so that others may comment on it. I think pictures were intended to share the memories with those who were there or who couldn’t make it. Now we have people who don’t even know each other facebook stalking people because of some fanatical obsession with some guy or girl they have never met in their entire life but want to be best friends with. Twitter is just people glorifying themselves through uneventful things like brushing your teeth or watching a movie. Thanks I really don’t care, get over yourself, Galileo proved that the universe doesn’t revolve around you. Has technology made our world more accessible to each other: yes. Has it negatively impacted our communication: double yes. Tech is great but the ability to understand, learn, and intimately know each other and communicate effectively through real life interaction. Acts 14:8-20!
February 22, 2013 at 9:51 pm
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February 26, 2013 at 8:42 am