Nike has just released a new shoe. The Air Native N7. It’s targeted to (and will be made available only to) the Native American population in the USA, in an attempt to help fight the obesity that is prevalent in that community. The shoes are specially designed with a shape and footbed that are apparently more in line with Native American feet, and the shoes will be made available to American Indians at wholesale prices through schools and wellness centers.

Profits will be turned back around and given to the tribal communities to help them even further.

The shoes mostly look like regular Nikes, but have some adornments that reference American Indian culture (sunset and sunrise tags on the tongue, feathers and stars on the insole, etc).

What do you all think about this?

Personally, I’m of two minds. On one hand, I think it’s great that such a major company is recognizing and taking steps to help a problem in a specific community. However, on the other hand, this whole thing comes off a bit as a patronizing publicity stunt for Nike.

What say you, shoe lovers?

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