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Adidas has apologised for promoting the JS Roundhouse Mid, its slavery trainer which was scheduled for release in August for around £230. The design was released on its corporate Facebook page following an unsuccessful preview. The image of the enslavement invoking design attracted much derision leading to the firm releasing a statement claiming the trainer “is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott's outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery”.

Adidas was initially hostile to criticism stating “Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful” and describing the product of its collaboration with the “quirky” and “light-hearted” Jeremy Scott as “unique”.

Indeed whilst many find the idea of profiting from prison and slavery invoking imagery offensive, the trainer design has several fans. Scott has much support from Africans on the social trending site Twitter. One London based reviewer wrote “I actually quite like these even with the ridiculous hand cuff attached to the back of the sneaker.”

The shoe’s Facebook page had more than 37,000 likes, but the majority of the almost 3,000 comments were complaints that the sneakers reminded them of slavery and promoted racist ideas.

Adidas eventually released a statement that read “We apologise if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace.”

The Facebook page is now unavailable.

Scott who has designed for artists such as Kanye West, Beyonce and Rihanna claims idea was plagiarised from “cartoons, toys & my childhood”, in this case the source of inspiration is believed to be My Pet Monster , a toy that was developed into a cartoon based around a boy and his stuffed furry toy that magically comes to life when his handcuffs are removed.

‘Shackle’ trainers are morally offensive

This is not the first time trainers have used designs likely to exploit and/or denigrate young African people. In 2008, sportswear manufacturer, Puma faced much criticism after it was reported it planned to release ‘limited’ edition Bonny and Clyde inspired trainers that glamorised violence. The trainers also carried the words “I steal for a living”.

In 2005, Rebook attempted to use 50 Cent's anti-African gun promoting image to sell its new “I am what I am” range. Reebok eventually pulled the offending adverts after regulatory bodies received a sea of complaints about its glamourisation of violence. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that the adverts implied a gangster lifestyle was inspirational.

Toyin Agbetu from the Ligali Organisation said “Adidas may be throwing its designer Jeremy Scott under the buss but the planned release of these morally distasteful trainers was not the actions of an individual.

It is ludicrous to suggest that no-one within the entire design department, manufacturing department, marketing department and sales department of Adidas realised that these ‘shackle’ trainers were morally (as well as aesthetically) offensive.

Could you imagine if these had gone on sale and we had to endure the sight of young African children oblivious of their history or the contemporary situation of their peers in prison complexes walking the street in this so called ‘designer’ gear?

Adidas’s initial response to dismiss as “untruthful” the very real complaints of those for who the image of slavery was invoked by these designs was both shameful and revealing.

This collective failure of Adidas to provide an appropriate and professional service to African people as a result of failings in its processes, attitudes and behaviour is a classic example of institutional racism and results in racist stereotyping irrespective of whether it is the result of unwitting, ignorant or thoughtless decisions.”