So, Nike thought they had a real winner then they introduced the pair of sneakers to commemorate the all important Irish holiday of St Patricks Day. The sneakers were tailored to match the traditional Irish ale, Guinness. The shoes had black leather uppers, tanned inserts and a cream colored swoosh down the sides, all designed to evoke memories of the famed beverage.
Unfortunately, the seemingly appropriate name of “Black and Tans” given to the shoes evoked memories of a whole different type.
It turns out, the “Black and Tans” were a particularly violent paramilitary group backed by the British government and deployed to Ireland during the Irish War in the 1920’s. The Black and Tans were essentially ex-WW1 veterans, recruited by the British government, to boost the ranks of the Royal Irish Constabulary or RIC. Their nickname derived from their motley uniform which was a mix of khaki army trousers and black police tunics.
The “tans” were credited with many atrocities against the Irish population, not least of which was the sacking of a large portion of Cork city centre and the infamous Bloody Sunday killings in November of 1920. So deep was the scarring on the Irish psyche, that the Irish war is often called the “Tan war”, and the term is still used in Ireland today as a derogatory term for the British.
Ironically, the shoe was officially called the Nike SB Dunk Low, but the Black and Tan moniker stuck during the marketing campaign. Nike subsequently apologised, but a quick visit to Google would have revealed the exact same slip made by Ben & Jerry’s in 2006, when they released their “Black and Tan” ice cream, and much embarrassment could have been avoided.
