Itongadol.- International sportswear company Reebok announced Tuesday that it will not be releasing a shoe in commemoration of Israel\’s 68th Independence Day celebration following a clarification from the brand\’s distributor in Israel.
On Monday, Reebok Israel announced that a special edition sneaker in blue and white, engraved with \’Israel 68" on the side of its heel, would be designed for a one time celebratory release as a collector\’s item in Israel and throughout the world.
But the following day, Reebok Israel retracted its earlier announcement, saying the company had no intention of manufacturing the item and blamed the confusion on the local distributor\’s miscommunication with an independent designer\’s proposed concept.
"The shoe was prepared by an independent designer and should not be presented as a product by the company\’s international brand," a spokesperson for Reebok Israel said in a statement.
The spokesperson added that a local designer had customized a personal layout using the company\’s website technology, which allows users to personalize their own designs.
The local designer than constructed a statement, along with "the model of the shoe" and sent it to the local Reebok distributor.
The spokesperson said that Reebok does not allow its sportswear to be politicized and refrains from distributing shoes tied to national emblems or countries.
Shortly after The Jerusalem Post published its initial story, pro-BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) voices denounced the proposed idea for the shoe, including the website Electronic Intifada, which said Reebok should not "trample on Palestinians by openly celebrating their oppressors."
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