Adidas has hit a nerve with their latest shoe design that some say resembles shackles worn by slaves. INSIDE EDITION reports on the growing outrage sparked by the design.
New sneakers from Adidas are causing a storm of outrage across the nation.
They come with plastic shackles—a symbol of human slavery.
Television contributor Professor Marc Lamont Hill told INSIDE EDITION, "People are saying, how could you possibly market a shoe to an urban market where you have orange shackles, which look like slavery, and they look like prison—two places that black people are very connected to, and don't want to be."
The controversial sneakers have been dubbed "Shackle Shoes" by critics. They won't be on sale until August—and they're not cheap. They're expected to sell for $350 a pair.
A headline from the London Daily Mail says, "How Would a Jewish Person Feel If You Put A Swastika On A Shoe?"
INSIDE EDITION viewers are venting their concern on our Facebook page.
Gina says they're "incredibly tasteless and hurtful."
Linda writes, "This is just wrong."
Reaction isn't all negative.
"I would definitely wear them, I mean I think they look good," said one teen INSIDE EDITION's Megan Alexander asked on the street.
"I think they're hot, I think it's a new style. I'd definitely personally wear them," said another.
Adidas said the sneakers are "Jeremy Scott's outrageous and unique take on fashion and nothing to do with slavery. Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful."
Expensive, one-of-a-kind sneakers are a hot commodity. Just a week ago, people stood in line for days waiting for Kanye West sneakers to go on sale.
And last Christmas there was mayhem as people literally fought each other to buy limited edition pairs of Air Jordans.
"When I look at that shoe, I think slavery, I think prison," said Hill.
