Kanye West Is Over: Adidas Drops Collab With 'Yeezy' Founder After Anti-Semitic Posts
The sportswear brand finally cuts ties with rapper Kanye West amidst controversy.
Rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has been the subject of controversial headlines since his problematic fashion statement, which featured "White Lives Matter" in bold text on the back of a shirt. Following the incident, the rapper engaged in several online feuds with netizens, which resulted in him getting restricted from Instagram and Twitter for anti-semitic remarks.
Fans Pressured Adidas to Cut Ties with West
Since the controversy surrounding Ye, numerous brands have cut their ties with West including Balenciaga, Vogue, and even production company MRC who shelved their documentary of the rapper.
Fans have taken to social media to pressure the sportswear giant to follow suit in the movement to condemn Kanye West's controversial behavior. Since the controversy surrounding the "Yeezy" founder, Adidas released a statement a few weeks ago announcing that their partnership with the "Yeezy" founder has been put under review amidst multiple efforts to resolve their issues with Ye.
Would any executives at @adidas like to comment on this? Or is their relationship with Kanye West and money more important? Asking as a Jewish woman.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) October 24, 2022
Notably, the "Praise God" rapper ranted in a now-deleted Instagram post about how Adidas had "stolen" his designs amidst their brand partnership.
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Adidas Officially Drops Collaboration with Kanye West
Now, the sportswear giant finally takes a stand against Ye in a recent statement. According to Adidas, their partnership with Kanye West is officially terminated and effective immediately.
"After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas-Yeezy business with immediate effect." Adidas said in its official statement.
Additionally, the sportswear brand condemned West's recently expressed ideologies and hate speech, and attributes it as one of the reasons for cutting ties with the fashion mogul.
"Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness." Adidas announced.
In their statement, Adidas also revealed that they claim the rights to all existing products from their partnership and that they expect a loss of up to $250 million from the company's net income amidst the terminated partnership.
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