Nike, while solidly ignoring the calls to manufacture the Official Shoe of Gadget Lab, has instead chosen to make the Nike Air Native N7, a sneaker specially designed for the Native American foot, which is on average wider and taller than that accommodated by regular sneaker designs.
The more cynical minded might call this a publicity stunt, but Nike is making the shoes available at wholesale prices and putting all profits back into health projects in the Reservations. But the cynical and credulous alike can both find patronising fault in the actual design: "heritage callouts" include the name (N7 refers to the Seven Generations, the three preceding and the three following, which are part of tribal wisdom and planning), and the decoration: feathers, sunrises and sunsets adorn the shoes.
Whatever we might think, though, money will be going where it's needed, and people will get a shoe that fits them. Also, the press release contains plenty of unintentional puns, including "stepping up", "elevate" and "solely". Pure gold.
