Knickers to Nike

By Craig Bloomfield

Nike dominates the market in sports leisurewear, but it has never been associated with big women's pants. Or not until the September Nike Fun Run London event in Richmond Park.

Every year Nike holds the event to promote themselves and raise money for London schools. Every year, No Sweat, working in conjunction with the union GMB London, turns up to highlight the less charitable aspects of the business.

GMB organiser Gary Jarvis told Red Pepper that the aim of the "knickers to Nike" event is to educate people taking part in the run that overseas workers who produce Nike products are exploited. Jarvis is the representative of workers at the Nike flagship store in Oxford Circus and he points out that workers in Nike shops in the UK don't have such great conditions either.

As to the run itself, No Sweat activists stayed true to their organisations name, not running the ten kilometres but dashing into the event on the home straight, in their knickers, carrying the Knickers banner.

(Red Pepper. no. 112, October 2003)