By Zanub Saeed
After outpours of rage, Adidas canceled plans to mass produce and sell a pair of sneakers that have bright orange shackle-like ankle cuffs attached to them, realizing that consumers said they looked too much like a horrifying symbol of 19th century slavery.
The pair of sneakers in question, called the JS Roundhouse Mid, featured plastic chained cuffs attached to the back, made in collaboration with designer Jeremy Scott, who in the past has made other products featuring pandas and Mickey Mouse, said reports in Time magazine and the Associated Press.
Adidas defended its decision to allow for the creation of the shoe, despite no further plans being made to sell them.
"The design of the JS Roundhouse Mid is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott's outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery," Adidas said in a statement sent to the Associated Press. "Since the shoe debuted on our Facebook page ahead of its market release in August, Adidas has received both favorable and critical feedback. We apologize if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace."
Adidas' Facebook page first released a preview of the shoes last month, and when noticed by consumers, complaints from websites around the world were released stating how insensitive and outrageous the design was, and how it hurt and offended so many people.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson also voiced his outrage at the creation of the shoes and what they implied.
"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," Jackson said in a statement sent to CNN.
The shoes were set to be released to the public this August for a retail price of $350, noted Time. They would have been sold at such retailers like Foot Locker and Modell's nationwide.
Designer Scott, who noted that the design was inspired by a furry toy called My Pet Monster, which featured a stuffed animal wearing orange handcuffs, told the Associated Press that "My work has always been inspired by cartoons, toys and my childhood."
