A staple of the New York sneaker scene, Japan-based retailer Atmos has come under fire in recent weeks with allegations of racism. As Black Lives Matter protests continue across the world in response to the police killing of George Floyd in May, Atmos is one of the numerous brands that's been called out for race-related offenses.
Specifically, a June 22 Instagram post by a former employee, @kickitwitdd (Damaries Negron), detailed some of the more egregious allegations levied against Atmos. Among her complaints, Negron alleges that the store, which operates in Harlem, underpaid its Black and Latino employees and eventually fired its minority workers and filled the positions with people from overseas. Negron also alleged that the store was known to backdoor its high-demand sneakers to overseas channels in order to fetch a higher premium.
Weeks later, the retailer has issued a formal response attributed to founder Hommyo Hidefumi and the Atmos team. Read Atmos' full statement below.
