Nike's 2018 "Be True" collection continues the brand's ongoing mission to support the LGBTQ community, but not everyone is on board with this year's designs.
For the first time, Nike used a pink triangle emblem on its "Be True" sneakers, detailing the symbol's dark history in a press release and explaining how, in 1987, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) repurposed the shape.
"Originally used to identify LGBTQ individuals during WWII, the triangle was reclaimed in the 1970s by pro-gay activists and was later adopted by the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power in their memorable 1980s-era 'Silence=Death' campaign," reads the press release.
Despite the acknowledgement, ACT UP thinks the Swoosh could do more to support the advocacy group's efforts. "How about donating the proceeds to current work we continue to do?," ACT UP tweeted Nike's way, later receiving a reply from the brand that its team would be in touch.
For its part, Nike says it has provided nearly $2.7 million to LGBTQ causes since the "Be True" program's 2012 inception. Each year, the brand's Be True Fund uses proceeds from the collection's sales to benefit a LGBTQ-related organization.
"We look forward to announcing the organizations soon that will receive support in 2018 through the Be True Fund. These have not been announced to date and will be in touch in the near future," Nike tells Sole Collector.
