Adidas cancels production of "racial" sneakers"

by TonyBerkman (editor), Costa Rica, June 19, 2012

adidas , sneakers

Credit: Adidas
Adidas Cancels Plans to Sell

Adidas "shackle shoes" cancelled and company extends an apology saying that the design was quirky though never had anything to do with slavery.

The Adidas "shakle sneaker" idea didn't make much sense athletically and the concept reminded many of the USA's grim past of slavery. The result was a backlash against the company. Adidas company has responded to the outrage by cancelling its plans to manufacture and sell the JS Roundhouse Mids. The sneakers were designed to include a bright, plastic and orange chain and ankle cuffs that looked more like "slave shackles."

After releasing a picture of the shoes on Facebook the backlash and outcry that Adidas was making light of slavery Adidas has caused company management to cancell the "shackle shoe," reports ABC news.

"The attempt to commercialize and make popular more than 200 years of human degradation, where blacks were considered three-fifths human by our Constitution is offensive, appalling and insensitive," said Jesse Jackson, one of the most high-profile critics.

Adidas at first stated the the designer's style was "quirky" and had nothing to do with slavery however they stated that "we apologize if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace."