Jacques Slade Unboxing Video Shines a Light on the Slave Trade

A new video by YouTube influencer Jacques Slade has reached a huge new audience in a campaign aimed at bringing the issue of modern slavery to younger consumers.

Under the tagline ‘Unboxing the real price of sneakers’, the campaign by the Thomson Reuters Foundation sees Jacques Slade – whose YouTube videos regularly reach more than 1.5 million people - opening a custom-made pair of trainers on camera for the first time.

Above: The unboxing of the SlaveMade sneakers.

At first glance, the shoes - created in collaboration with The Shoe Surgeon, a prominent LA shoe designer - are modern, off-white mid-tops, combining leather, suede and mesh, woven together, featuring zig-zag stitching. But a closer look reveals hidden facts about slavery and forced labour. The price tag on the shoe, for example, doesn’t display the price, but the price of a slave today (USD90). The tongue tag has ‘40M’ designed to look like a logo. But on the back of the tongue, there is an explanation that there are 40 million slaves today. The insoles include pictures of sweatshop conditions, a subtle placement that is easy to miss.

"Jacques Slade has spread a critical message at a pace and scale that is breathtaking."

The initiative, which was also worked on by TBWAChiatDay New York, aims to raise awareness of the ‘hidden human price’ of products amongst young people at a time when the issue of ethical fashion is increasingly informing consumer choices.

“This is a very exciting initiative for the Foundation, to shed light on this monstrous crime,” said Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “The video is brilliant. Jacques Slade has spread a critical message at a pace and scale that is breathtaking. How many people today are questioning the human price of the shoes they wear? We hope this film will encourage hundreds of thousands more to do so. We are hugely grateful to TBWA, who worked entirely pro bono on this, and to Jacques.”