{"id":219453,"date":"2012-06-19T14:55:38","date_gmt":"2012-06-19T19:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=219453"},"modified":"2022-09-16T07:22:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T12:22:10","slug":"controversial-kicks-sneakers-offend-folks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/controversial-kicks-sneakers-offend-folks\/","title":{"rendered":"Controversial Kicks: When Sneakers Offend Folks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Contrary to recent mainstream press, sneakers are designed to be worn, not to stir the pot or offend people. Never the less, some fashion statements have been taken out of context and some names have evoked criticism. We take a look back at kicks that have been labeled offensive in style or title and retrace why they caused commotion.<\/p>\n<h2>Nike Air Bakin<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Originally Launched:<\/strong> 1997<br \/>\n<strong>Reason for Controversy:<\/strong> Branding Font<\/p>\n<p>While the ketchup and mustard colorway was too zesty for many, it was the branding that was deemed offensive on the <strong>Nike Air Bakin<\/strong>. The original release sported a flame-esque ?Air? font that also tagged the heels of the Melt, Grill, and B-Que models. The fiery theme was apparent in title, but caused heat for the logo?s likeness to ?Allah? written in Arabic. Nike apologized for their unintentional insensitivity and recalled the kicks. The shoe was later re-released and retroed with Swoosh stamped heels.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Umbro Zyklon<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Originally Launched:<\/strong> 1999<br \/>\n<strong>Reason for Controversy:<\/strong> Name<\/p>\n<p>In 2002, Jewish groups condemned <strong>Umbro<\/strong> for their?<strong>Zyklon<\/strong>?trainers. The name closely resembled that of Zyklon B, a lethal gas used by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Umbro changed the name of the shoe and expressed their regret for the unintentionally offensive title.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>adidas Y1 HUF<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Originally Launched:<\/strong> 1999<br \/>\n<strong>Reason for Controversy:<\/strong> Graphic<\/p>\n<p>Back in 1999, <strong>adidas<\/strong> and <strong>HUF<\/strong> received complaints from the Asian community for their adiColor collab. The shoe&#8217;s tongue featured the Ray Fong cartoon character, which some felt was a stereotypical and negative representation of Asian people. Though the cartoon was created by half-Chinese artist Barry McGee and depicts a youthful version of himself, the shoe was ultimately pulled from shelves.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Converse Loaded Weapon<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Originally Launched:<\/strong> 2003<br \/>\n<strong>Reason for Controversy:<\/strong> Name<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Converse Loaded Weapon<\/strong> caught heat for the violent connotations surrounding its name. Releasing on the heels of gun crimes involving NBA players, the named was deemed insensitive by some. Converse cited the heritage of the <a title=\"Converse Weapon\" href=\"\/tag\/converse-weapon\/\">original Weapon<\/a> for the naming, attributing the ?loaded? title to the shoe?s new cushioning system. Converse stood by their stance and the model went on to release.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Air Jordan 12 &#8220;Rising Sun&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Originally Launched:<\/strong> 2009<br \/>\n<strong>Reason for Controversy:<\/strong> Flag Design<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Air Jordan 12 ?Rising Sun?<\/strong> caused controversy for its flag sporting insoles. Intended to tribute the Japanese flag that inspired the original design, the insole imagery was deemed offensive by Korean and Chinese retailers\/consumers that viewed the flag as a symbol of Japanese imperialism and tension between the countries. This commotion disrupted the release date of the shoe, though many pairs had been shipped and some already sold. Jordan Brand recalled the flagged soles, destroyed them, and swapped them out for a simple branded alternative that outfitted the vast majority of released pairs.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Nike SB Dunk Low &#8220;Black &amp; Tan&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Originally Launched:<\/strong> 2012<br \/>\n<strong>Reason for Controversy:<\/strong> Nickname<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nike<\/strong> recently took criticism for the unofficial nickname of?<strong>?Black &amp; Tan? SB Dunk Low<\/strong>. The nickname was meant to honor St. Patrick?s Day and play off the popular <a href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mFcrKaeGP7Q\/TzGuYLkNCgI\/AAAAAAAAB50\/1AaYm84heHU\/s1600\/blackandtan.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drink<\/a>; however, the term &#8216;Black and Tan&#8217; also refers to a British parliament group that violently attacked the Irish civilian population. Nike apologized for the unintended insensitivity, but reiterated that they did not create the nickname. The makeup still released.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>Jeremy Scott x adidas JS Roundhouse<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Originally Launched:<\/strong> 2012<br \/>\n<strong>Reason for Controversy:<\/strong> Design<\/p>\n<p>Known for his playful themes and outrageous designs, <strong>Jeremy Scott<\/strong> received recent backlash for placing ?shackles? on the <strong>adidas Roundhouse Mid<\/strong>. Media outlets screamed at Scott, claiming slavery connotations, when in actuality the shoe was inspired by the My Pet Monster plush doll. Scott and adidas stand by the cartoon inspiration, a common theme?amongst?his designs, but the JS Roundhouse has since been shelved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s your opinion on these sneakers?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":219494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[618],"tags":[],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.0 (Yoast SEO v24.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Controversial Kicks: When Sneakers Offend Folks | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Where to buy Controversial Kicks: When Sneakers Offend Folks shoes. 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