Adidas on Monday pulled a running shoe from its Black History Month lineup after social media erupted when the all-white shoe showed up in a new collection of designs inspired by the Harlem Renaissance,
AdAge reported.
The Renaissance was the 1920s movement marking a turning point for recognizing the cultural contribution of African Americans.
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The collection includes shoes and apparel in all performance categories. The white shoe was part of the “Uncaged” line and it attracted instant criticism from consumers for its color and name.
It’s not unusual to see Black History Month collections from major sneaker brands like Nike and Adidas, Complex reported. They sell shoe lines to celebrate Christmas and NBA All-Star Games too.
When images of the white shoes emerged in January, social media users questioned how the shoe’s design represented Black History Month, but that didn’t stop Adidas.
The Adidas slogan may be “impossible is nothing,” but there are some things even this famous shoe brand can’t do, WCPO Chicago reported.
The website doesn’t specify what materials were used to make the shoe, but one Twitter user said a store employee told her they were made of cotton.
Adidas released this statement about their decision:
“After careful consideration, we have decided to withdraw the product from the collection.”
