Blog Entry: 399
The
Roundhouse Mid “Handcuff” shoe, created by New York designer Jeremy Scott,
features a plastic orange shackle that attaches to each ankle. The sneakers
cost $350. It was promoted with a teaser “Tighten up your style with the JS
Roundhouse Mids, dropping in August. Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your
kicks to your ankles?”
The
brand was making a cheeky statement about shoe theft but many are equating
these binding devices with slavery and prisoners.
The
“Handcuff” sneaker image had over 36,000 Facebook likes, but many of the
comments are angry and disapproving.
“Please
tell me this is FAKE. I am not hearing these Adidas Amistad Originals,” one
woman commented on Facebook, referencing the ship famous for an African slave
revolt in 1839.
One
man is prepared to boycott the brand out of respect to his African heritage. “I
for one will NEVER don another pair of Adidas if these shoes see the light of
day in the sneaker market,” he wrote.
One
Facebook user reasoned that “corporate business has a social responsibility
above all to consider these perceptions before releasing a product like this.”
Another
flabbergasted person wondered, “This has to be some sort of prank right?”
Others simply called the design “ignorant” and the look “slavewear.”
The
sneaker controversy is still on-going with over 2,000 Facebook comments along
with many websites and bloggers discussing their unique perspectives.
One
commenter wrote on Facebook, “Wow Adidas, you had an opportunity to fix this
and you defiantly decided to go the racist route. Good for you. I hope your
stock falls off a cliff.”
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