Adidas' Shackle Kicks Designer Speaks Out, Reveals His Motivation

Fashion designer Jeremy Scott is defending his image in light of Adidas shelving his controverisal Roundhouse Mids sneakers and revealed where he got the motivation from.

Scott informed his 100,00-plus Twitter followers he gets motivation from childhood memories and toys.

"MY WORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN INSPIRED BY CARTOONS, TOYS & MY CHILDHOOD...," he tweeted June 19th as a caption to a stuffed animal monster who appears to have similar shackles as the shelved Roundhouse Mids sneakers. (Jeremy Scott's Twitter)

Less than a week since they were previewed, Adidas shelved the kicks' production.

German sports apparel maker Adidas has withdrawn its plans to sell a controversial sneaker featuring affixed rubber shackles after the company generated significant criticism when advertising the shoe on its Facebook page. The high-top sneakers, dubbed the JS Roundhouse Mids, were expected to be released in August, according to the Adidas Originals Facebook page. "Got a sneaker game so hot you lock your kicks to your ankles?" a caption below a photo of the sneakers read. The June 14 post prompted plenty of criticism from around the Web, with many of those commenting saying they felt the shackle invoked the painful image of slavery. (CNN)

New York rap veteran Talib Kweli publicly went after Adidas over its kicks this week.

"WTF @adidas sneakers with SHACKLES? Which morons approved these? Do better. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160977/Adidas-unveiling-new-trainer-orange-shackles-like-worn-black-slaves.html," he tweeted June 18th.

"@NickNoir @adidas the sneakers are historically ignorant. Are their more offensive things in the world? Certainly"

"@NickNoir @adidas aggressively markets to urban. They should know better & be more sensitive. So should the artist. Wack." (Talib Kweli's Twitter)

Monday (June 18), Adidas took a firm stand to defend its company's integrity.

Adidas is defending its design for sneakers with orange ankle bracelets and chains, despite criticism from bloggers and Facebook users that the shoes resemble shackles worn by African slaves. "The design of the JS Roundhouse Mid is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott's outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery," an Adidas spokesperson said. "Any suggestion that this is linked to slavery is untruthful." Jeremy Scott's past designs for Adidas have featured panda heads and Mickey Mouse. (Black Youth Project)

Check out a consumer's reaction to the sneakers below: