NEW YORK – adidas says it will pull a sneaker after backlash that it had overtones of slavery or inmates.
The JS Roundhouse Mids were scheduled to make their debut in August.
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The marketer denied any slavery or inmate overtones.
It has argued that the shoes are for those who have "a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles."
Adidas is rebuffing fierce criticism of one of its upcoming original sneaker designs. The JS Roundhouse Mid, a collaboration between Adidas Originals and edgy fashion designer Jeremy Scott and due to be released in August, features a bright orange chain and ankle strap.
The public got its first look at the sneakers when Adidas added a photo of them to the brand's Facebook page on June 14 with the caption: "Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?"
The posting has racked up more than 2,000 comments, with many describing them as offensive, inappropriate, and even ugly.
While detractors likened the kicks to slave chains and prison shackles, Adidas said the JS Roundhouse Mids are not meant to be a symbol of oppression, and noted that Scott has previously designed creative kicks for Adidas featuring panda bear heads and Mickey Mouse.
A statement supplied by adidas and posted by USA Today said, "Our collaboration with Jeremy Scott has always stood for creativity and originality. Jeremy Scott is renowned as a designer whose style is quirky and lighthearted & his previous shoe designs for adidas Originals have, for example, included panda heads and Mickey Mouse. 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. 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 to the marketplace."