Shoe brand apologises after controversial logo receives police complaints

Vern's Holding's shoe ad
(Image credit: Vern's Holdings)

A Malaysian shoe brand has apologised and offered refunds to its customers after its logo was deemed offensive for allegedly resembling the Arabic writing for the word God. While the company has claimed the resemblance to be a coincidence, it admitted to shortcomings in the design.

The logo for Vern's Holding is intended to represent a stiletto show featuring a spiralled ankle holder. "We have absolutely no intention of designing a logo aimed at belittling or insulting any religion or belief," the company announced in a statement. “The management would like to humbly apologise and seek forgiveness. We hope for compassion so we can rectify this mistake.” It goes without saying that this one won't be hitting our roundup of the best logos ever.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Daniel John
Senior News Editor

Daniel John is Senior News Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.