Nike pulls new Air Stab trainers off the shelf in wake of knife attacks

The sport shoe giant re-released the limited-edition 'retro' range from 1988 two years ago, with the logo Runnin'n'Gunnin on the inner linings and heel.

But after reaction from consumers and campaigners against gun and knife crime, the £90 trainers will be taken off the shelves.

The company pulled the range from its Nike Town store in central London, the one shop which sold the shoe, but were still selling them yesterday.

Nike has pulled its Air Stab shoes off the shelves following a spate of recent stabbings in the UK

The move comes days after security guards at the store in Regent Street were attacked with knives when they chased shoplifters and suffered leg and back stab wounds. 

The running shoe, whose name is derived from 'stability', was first released in 1988 and the current limited edition 'retro' range was launched two years ago.

Nike said the Air Stab 'may be an unfortunate coincidence timing-wise' but rejected any suggestion that the company condoned the use of knives.

A spokesman said: 'The shoe was first launched in 1988 as a stability running shoe, hence the name Air Stab. It has nothing to do with knives or knife crime.

'While it may be an unfortunate coincidence timing-wise given current problems regarding knives, we completely reject the idea that we are in any way condoning or encouraging the issue of knife usage.'

The spokesman added that the company released thousands of shoes onto the market every year and that it would be impossible to predict the names of shoes based around what was happening in the news.

'Given the current climate, however, we have taken the step of  withdrawing the shoe from our Nike Town store,' he added.

Crimestoppers, the crime fighting charity, said it was 'astonished that a major retailer such as Nike could be this naive and act so irresponsibly with its marketing.