- Don-Alvin Adegeest
-
|
Nike has withdrawn several product styles from Chinese retailers after its
latest collaboration with Japanese streetwear brand Undercover courted
controversy on social media.
The move comes as Undercover shared a political post on Instagram about the
ongoing demonstrations concerning extradition from Hong Kong to mainland
China. Undercover said it supported the protestors, captioning an image
with “No extradition to China.”
China is a key market for Nike, and its Daybreaker sneaker collaboration
with Undercover that debuted on June 21st was already a hot item for local
sneaker aficionados. Nike cannot afford to offend China, where consumer
demand for its products is booming, and which last year saw the company
post revenue of 1.38 billion dollars for the Greater China region, of which
70 percent came from footwear sales.
In a statement to Footwear News, Nike said: “Based on feedback from Chinese
consumers, we have withdrawn from China a small number of products that
were designed by a collaborator.”
Since the protests began, over a million people have taken to the street in
Hong Kong to fight the local government’s decision to pass an extradition
bill allowing Beijing the power to extradite individuals in the territory
of Hong Kong to the mainland. Many have criticised the bill as a violation
of human rights.
Undercover’s Instagram post has since been deleted.
Nike x Undercover Daybreaker collaboration, source Undercover website
