'Racist to its sole': Adidas removes all-white cotton sneakers created for Black History Month

Sportswear giant Adidas has withdrawn all-white Ultraboost sneakers from a collection designed to honor Black History Month, after facing a backlash from some social media users.

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The all-white running shoes made of cotton were part of a specially-designed edition created by the Harlem Renaissance to commemorate Black History Month, an annual observance which recognizes African Americans' contribution to the US down the years.

While the majority of the brand’s Ultraboost line sneakers were black with orange and purple elements, the all-white shoes stood out, which some social media users took issue with amid the Black History Month celebrations.

The newly-released collection sparked a backlash on social media, forcing the sports company to remove the shoes from the collection.

“These were probably designed by @kanyewest,” one user wrote, apparently referring to Kanye West’s support for Donald Trump and the rapper’s previous ‘Yeezy’ collaboration with the German sportswear giant.

The sportswear company admitted that the all-white design “did not reflect the spirit or philosophy” related to the Black History Month celebrations.

"Toward the latter stages of the design process, we added a running shoe to the collection that we later felt did not reflect the spirit or philosophy of how Adidas believes we should recognize and honor Black History Month," the company said in a statement.

"After careful consideration, we have decided to withdraw the product from the collection."