Adidas Cancels Shoe

  Since originally posting the story on the JS Roundhouse Mids by Adidas, they have decided to cancel the shoe.  This after a public outcry that these shoes were reminders of the history of slavery in America.  The sneakers were scheduled to hit stores in August and would have retailed for $350 USD.

  The designer of the shoe is TO Jeremy Scott.  From Los Angeles, he says he was inspired by the 1980's children's toy My Pet Monster.

  Reverend Jesse Jackson was a big critic of these shoes calling them "slave shoes."  He was quoted in the New York Times saying, "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."

My Pet Monster.  The 1980's toy the designer said he
was inspired by when designing the shoes.

  But was that the designer's intention?  Are these shoes really being racist?  Many say yes.  Some say no.  when I originally posted this story some of my friends made comments about how to them it looked like it was representative of being a "slave to fashion."  Another said it reminded her of "S&M".  One comment on Facebook said he saw it as "A representation of the debt we are enslaved to and can't get out of."  But then there were those who saw it as a reminder of slavery. Not just slavery of Black people but any people who have been enslaved throughout the world's history.

  Whatever the thoughts, the backlash was too much for Adidas and the shoe is no longer going to be sold.

New Adidas Style Offending Blacks

JS Roundhouse Mids by Adidas

Adidas recently unveiled a new style that has people talking.  Scheduled to be sold in stores this August, many are accusing them of promoting slavery with this new design.  It features an orange, plastic shackle that's attached to the high-top sneaker with an orange chain.

The shoes are the JS Roundhouse Mids and so far social media is abuzz with what they think about these new kicks.  The Facebook Fan Page has over 36,000 Likes already (at the time I wrote this post), but there are also several comments about how ridiculous and negatively it promotes slavery.  The shackles are particularly representative of the 19th century slavery that took place in the Americas of Africans.  The other point is that orange is typical of the jumpsuit worn by many prisoners in America.

Here are a few comments from the Facebook Page:

Brandon Hayes

"Where's the DISIKE button when you need it?"

Bill Chitwood
"I choose to regard this as a symbol of the HUGE Federal debt we're all shackled to, and thus, find them highly appropriate and devastatingly topical.  I also refuse to assume responsibility for how YOU take them or how your feelings might (or might not) be hurt by a silly pair of shoes."

Tom Brown
"It's an odd fashion statement and reminders to slavery cannot be ignored.  Plus, we're living in a time of great wealth inequality, so it's no wonder to me why people are shaking their heads over this story.  We can say ok...maybe the designer didn't mean to bring up African slavery.  Maybe he didn't mean to bring up any part of the 10,000+ year history of slavery on earth.  Maybe the designer didn't mean to bring up the ever-increasing wealth of the wealthy and increasing poverty of the poor, but too late...nerve has been touched.

Lynette B. Johnson
"As a Black person, I don't look at history in "black and white."  I can see slavery behind these shackles.  I can also see Auschwitz, and the concentration camps; or how about these Japanese detainees held in concentration camps during World War II?  So it's not really a black and white thing, it is?  But those shoes ARE offensive."




Thousands on other social networks including Twitter have also taken offense to these new sneakers.  People are saying that Adidas was very insensitive in their choice of this design.

What are your thoughts on this new design?