Subvert Nike - buy Blackspot sneakers
fab five freddy | 10.03.2004 22:10 | Globalisation | Sheffield | World
For years, Nike was the undisputed champion of logo culture, its swoosh an instant symbol of global cool. Today, Phil Knight's Nike is a fading empire, badly hurt by years of "brand damage" as activists and culture jammers fought back against mindfuck marketing and dirty sweatshop labor.
Now a final challenge. We take on Phil at his own game - and win. We turn the shoes we wear into a counterbranding game. The swoosh versus the anti-swoosh. Which side are you on?
Adbusters has been doing R&D for more than a year, and guess what? Making a shoe - a good shoe - isn't exactly rocket science. With a network of supporters, we're getting ready to launch the blackSpot sneaker, the world's first grassroots anti-brand, with a ground-breaking marketing scheme to uncool Nike. If it succeeds, it will set a precedent that will revolutionize capitalism.
Check out the website at
http://www.blackspotsneaker.org/
Adbusters has been doing R&D for more than a year, and guess what? Making a shoe - a good shoe - isn't exactly rocket science. With a network of supporters, we're getting ready to launch the blackSpot sneaker, the world's first grassroots anti-brand, with a ground-breaking marketing scheme to uncool Nike. If it succeeds, it will set a precedent that will revolutionize capitalism.
Check out the website at
http://www.blackspotsneaker.org/
fab five freddy
Additions
re ethical shoes firms, Europe
07.01.2008 14:57
Looking at the post about European-made ethical-ish shoes, here are some more links:
http://www.ethicalwares.com
http://www.veganline.com has a page about unswooshers
Someone mentioned Guat in Sheffield. They have a web site
http://www.guatshoes.co.uk/
Someone mentioned No Sweat. Their shoe importer is
http://www.earthandwear.com/ (although the people who make the sneakers are only paid £15 a month)
As for capitalism-free shoes: it takes a big machine to stretch material over a mould, so I don't know how it can be done without capital. The factory that makes chunky boots for the Trediar brand, Veganline.com and Vegetarian Shoes is NPS (Shoes) Woolleston, which managed to work as a staff-owned co-op for over 100 years but is a private company now. Equity Shoes Leicester is still staff-owned but I think they make all their stuff out of leather.
hope this useful
John
http://www.ethicalwares.com http://www.veganline.com has a page about unswooshers Someone mentioned Guat in Sheffield. They have a web site
http://www.guatshoes.co.uk/ Someone mentioned No Sweat. Their shoe importer is
http://www.earthandwear.com/ (although the people who make the sneakers are only paid £15 a month) As for capitalism-free shoes: it takes a big machine to stretch material over a mould, so I don't know how it can be done without capital. The factory that makes chunky boots for the Trediar brand, Veganline.com and Vegetarian Shoes is NPS (Shoes) Woolleston, which managed to work as a staff-owned co-op for over 100 years but is a private company now. Equity Shoes Leicester is still staff-owned but I think they make all their stuff out of leather.
hope this useful
John
John Robertson
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