US shoe company New Balance is facing a consumer backlash after comments by its vice president for communications on Donald Trump’s opposition to TTIP were perceived as an endorsement of the president-elect. Customers circulated pictures of New Balance trainers being burned or thrown away, forcing the brand to release a statement clarifying its position. At the weekend, white supremacist website the Daily Stormer claimed the trainers were “the official shoes of white people” and encouraged readers to buy them. The controversy has also prompted some retailers to pull their products from sale in protest at what they see as “corporate greed.”
US shoe company New Balance is facing a consumer backlash after comments by its vice president for communications on Donald Trump’s opposition to TTIP were perceived as an endorsement of the president-elect. Customers circulated pictures of New Balance trainers being burned or thrown away, forcing the brand to release a statement clarifying its position. At the weekend, white supremacist website the Daily Stormer claimed the trainers were “the official shoes of white people” and encouraged readers to buy them. New Balance distanced itself from this support, commenting that the company rejected bigotry.