A Perth nightclub has banned red sneakers because they believe the colour correlates with a certain type of patron: deadbeats often referred to as 'eshays'.
If you're unfamiliar with the term, eshays are a certain type of youth that glorifies gang crime, antisocial behaviour and sometimes drug use.
They sometimes talk in Pig Latin, have their own uniform of certain shoes and brands they wear, and are known to cause a ruckus wherever they go.
As of February 1, bouncers at the Hillarys venue will turn away anyone wearing red Nike, ASIC and New Balance sneakers that are favoured by the very dregs they are hoping to avoid.
Nightclub owner Malcolm Pages said he decided to ban the footwear as they typically belong to patrons they have to kick out or refuse entry to anyway.
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The bar has been panned for the new rule, but Pages reckons it isn't discrimination as the rule will only apply to a 'certain element of person'.
"It’s a little bit eshay but it’s also a little bit of the local suburban hero. The local hero certainly wears a certain style of clothing," he told Perth radio station 6PR, as per Perth Now.
"If you rock up ... as a nicely dressed young lady with red shoes, you’re not going to obviously be told to, you know, change your shoes."
He added: "If the person is a nice young person then we’re not going to have any dramas.
"It’s more of a look that’s gaining momentum in the last 18 months in Perth, probably Australia.
"Unfortunately quite often when these people are dealt with or refused entry or they’ve been asked to leave, a large percentage of the time they have red shoes on."
They confirmed the new rule on social media with a post of a picture of a red sneaker and a crummy looking lad flexing his muscles.
The caption read: "Yes, we are serious."
The new rule has been met with mixed reviews.
One social media user said sarcastically: "Yes, because a person wearing red shoes is far more likely to commit a crime than any other colour."
Another said: "Should do that everywhere. Red shoes are disgusting."
A third commented: "For those who don’t know why or are in question, I suggest you walk through Rockingham and Kwinana for a day and tell me what shoes the people picking up bumpers and breaking into cars are wearing."
Another person had a stroke of entrepreneurial brilliance: "Business idea. Go to Bar 1 and sell basic black volleys at double the price to all the eshays. Could even have a rental service where we hold the eshay red shoes and give them a pair of volleys until they are done."
Looks like we have an ideas man here.
Anyway, no matter what you think, anyone with red shoes will be told to walk, so you'd better get used to it.
Rachel Lang