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| Nike has had its fair share of “controversies” to deal with over the years with countless claims of exploited labor and working conditions, but one of its latest moves to skirt a potential PR crisis earns a Bonehead Award.
The city of London has recently experienced a series of unfortunate knife violence and stabbings. So far this year more than 5,000 victims have been stabbed across the UK and 53 individuals have been murdered by stabbings in London alone.?? Sadly last week one employee and two security staff were stabbed by teenage shoplifters attempting to flee. In response to this domestic crisis of violence, Nike has recalled the Air Stab which displays the sneaker’s name on the exterior of the shoe from their UK stores. The Times reported this story and while they briefly mentioned that the name was chosen nearly 20 years ago, reporter Hannah Fletcher conveniently omits that “STAB” stands for “Stability” rather than the violent action. This shoe, designed by none other than Tinker Hatfield, features a supportive footbridge to protect one from impact-related injuries that provided stability that the Air Max 1 did not. I can’t describe how shocked I am that Nike, who has taken on much larger PR battles in the past, ducked its tail, retreated, only letting the press have their way to show that this recall is a form of admitted guilt. The current climate of crime in UK is tragic, as is the coincidence of the name of the shoe, but I do not know how the retraction of this shoe will help the desperate situation. Info from FirstCuts. |
