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BY KERRY LEARY

Adidas sparked a chain reaction after a new pair of shoes was advertised on its Facebook page — many are calling them “Shackle Shoes.” ABC has more.

“Apparently folks are upset because it looks like orange shackles. These things literally go around the ankles of the person, and folks are saying ‘Wait a minute, this is bringing back some slavery flashbacks here, what is the connotation here?’”

The slogan for the shoes is, “Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?” Rev. Jesse Jackson posted a blog about the shoes — and the symbolism behind ankle shackles .

“The attempt to commercialize and make popular more than 200 years of human degradation... is offensive, appalling and insensitive. Removing the chains from our ankles and placing them on our shoes is no progress.”

But the shoe’s designer, Jeremy Scott, said his work was inspired by his childhood. The New York Observer notes:

“There was nothing about the idea of slavery that inspired Scott’s design. What they likely won’t say—because of copyright law...is what it is (pretty explicitly) inspired by:
90s cartoon/toy sensation My Pet Monster.”

The Observer notes My Pet Monster’s orange handcuffs and purple and orange color theme can be seen easily in the design of the shoes.

But a writer for the Chicago Sun Times says it doesn’t matter whether the resemblance to shackles was intentional — it was still a dumb move.

“[This] doesn’t mean I believe the designer of these controversial shoes sat at his drawing board and was inspired by black people in slave shackles... Someone should have pulled Scott’s coat on this project before his vision became a reality.”

Adidas said the shoes have nothing to do with slavery and apologized for any negative connotation. The company also announced they cancelled production of the shoes, which were supposed to hit stores in August for $350.