AverageBro: Ashy Or Classy?!? adidas Air-Kunta Kinte Shoes.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Ashy Or Classy?!? adidas Air-Kunta Kinte Shoes.

all.day.i.dream.about.slavery.

I'm not exactly a sneaker head, but I fux with some adidas. Few shoes have the same "chill factor". I'm sure they make shoes for athletic activities, but every pair of adidas I own is strictly for frontin'. Or whatever the kids are saying nowadays.

Anyways, the shoemaker is in the news for a very poorly thought-out new line of kicks that for some odd reason seem to mimic slave imagery.

A hurtful symbol of slavery or simply a quirky fashion statement?

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 yes, 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.

“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,” a representative for the shoemaker told TODAY.com by email. “Jeremy Scott is renowned as a designer whose style is quirky and lighthearted ... Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful.”

In the pantheon of "Black Folks' Problems" this one ranks somewhere below Getting Miss Cita Back On BET and Figuring Out Exactly What Kinda Jalapenos Those Are That Come With Church's Chicken, but still. Seriously, adidas, what were ya'll thinkin'? You know Negroes are sensitive about this slave sh*t. Why even bother pushing the envelope? Nobody is gonna rock a pair of Air ~~Nat Turners~~ Kunta Kintes, and the PR backlash you're getting prolly is gonna be worth more harm than good once the final tally comes in.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Someone shoulda peeped the initial prototype and axed this one before it went public. I'mma call this one Ashy as a slave's ankles. What say' ye?!?

Question: Ashy or Classy? Would you rock a pair of Air Tubmans?!?

A hurtful symbol of slavery or simply a quirky fashion statement?

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 yes, 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.

“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,” a representative for the shoemaker told TODAY.com by email. “Jeremy Scott is renowned as a designer whose style is quirky and lighthearted ... Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful.”