Adidas Controversial “Shackle Sneaker” Pulled off Shelves Amidst Racism Backlash!

Adidas faced heavy criticism after releasing an image of its new JS Roundhouse Mid Sneakers on Facebook, with some people likening the look to slave chains and prison shackles.

A controversial idea for an Adidas sneaker (JS Roundhouse Mid Sneaker ) whose design incorporates a built in shackle on each shoe has been shelved before it even had a chance to hit the stores.

The design for the Adidas JS Roundhouse Mid Sneaker was a collaboration between Adidas Originals and edgy fashion designer Jeremy Scott who decided a climate full of racial tension shackles wouldn't cause ruckus.  The public got its first look at the sneakers when Adidas added a photo of them its Facebook with the caption:

“Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?”

The obvious response to the idea of introducing shackles on a shoe designed similar to a basketball shoe (a "black sport") was offense and the surfacing of symbolism akin to slavery.

Adidas released a statement in response to the JS Roundhouse Mid Sneaker fiasco:

“We apologize if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace...Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful,”

Truth be told, some symbolism can't be separated from its historicity. Shackles to a black man (particularly and African American) will inevitably land you on the topic of slavery. Shackles to white man will inevitably land on the guilt associated with the topic of slavery. In a similar vein, if you made a pair of shoes that when placed together form the image a swastika, no matter how you tried to spin it, people of  Jewish decent would flip out. 

And when the looked at the shoe the black dudes saw THIS!

Was The Adidas JS Roundhouse Mid sneaker design inspired by slavery? Probably not, I doubt the designer sat a down and thought to himself, "Hmm let me design a shoe inspired by slavery and market it to blacks/black wannabes. Was the design inspired by ignorance? Sure it was. What did Adidas think would happen if they made a shoe with shackles??

I Just showed the design to my mum and....

#MmaLungusays "What is that? It is OK on the bottom but what about the top? Is it for prisoners??"

Category: News, Sports