Nike has pulled a range of shoes called Air Stab from its
Nike's pledge to discontinue the Air Stab shoe range on Wednesday came 11 days after two security guards at the store Niketown, in Regent Street, London, were attacked with knives as they tried to apprehend a gang of teenage shoplifters. They were treated for stab wounds to the leg and back.
A total of 53 people have been stabbed to death in
A unnamed spokesman for Nike told The Times that the name was “obviously unfortunate, given the current issues that we face in the
He denied that the withdrawal was because of worries that the name promoted or encouraged the use of knives. “I do not think it might have a bad influence over young people.”
The spokesman added that the decision had been made “a few days ago” but yesterday the Air Stab range was still on sale for £90 in Niketown. One shop assistant, unaware of the shoe's imminent demise, said they were “really big sellers”.
“The name might seem a bit bad, but it's quite innocent really,” he added. “They were named before all the recent problems.”