Nike has pulled a special-edition Fourth of July trainer that features an old version of the American flag on its heel, as it may "detract from the nation's patriotic holiday".
The Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July trainers are white with red trim, a dark blue Nike tick and a stitched image of the 18th-century flag on each heel.
The sportswear brand reportedly made the decision to withdraw the trainers following criticism from former NFL player and Nike ambassador Colin Kaepernick, and others, that the flag design could cause offence.

 

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Updated 7/2/19: After Colin Kaepernick?s intervention, Nike has officially cancelled the release of this shoe. - Celebrate the upcoming #IndependenceDay holiday with these Air Max 1s featuring the flag sewn by Betsy Ross. For a closer look at this upcoming release, tap the link in our bio. A post shared by Sneaker News (@sneakernews) on Jun 24, 2019 at 4:54pm PDT

Nike chose to remove the shoe "based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation's patriotic holiday".
"We regularly make business decisions to withdraw initiatives, products and services," said a spokesperson for the company. "Nike is a company proud of its American heritage."
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