Amid controversy, the sportswear company has finally severed ties with rapper Kanye West.
Kanye West, now known as Ye, has made headlines for his controversial fashion statement, which featured “White Lives Matter” in bold text on the back of a shirt. Following the incident, the rapper got into several online feuds with netizens, which led to him being banned from Instagram and Twitter for making anti-Semitic remarks.
Since the controversy surrounding Ye, many brands have severed ties with West, including Balenciaga, Vogue, and even production company MRC, which canceled their documentary about the rapper.
Fans have taken to social media to pressure the sportswear behemoth to join the movement condemning Kanye West’s controversial behavior. Adidas issued a statement a few weeks ago announcing that their partnership with the “Yeezy” founder has been reviewed amidst multiple efforts to resolve their issues with Ye.
Notably, in a now-deleted Instagram post, the “Praise God” rapper claimed that Adidas had “stolen” his designs as part of their brand partnership.
In a recent statement, the sportswear behemoth finally takes a stand against Ye. Adidas has officially ended its partnership with Kanye West, effective immediately.
Adidas said in its official statement:
“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.”
Furthermore, the sportswear company condemned West’s recent ideologies and hate speech, citing it as one of the reasons for cutting ties with the fashion mogul.
Adidas announced:
“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 also revealed in their statement that they claim the rights to all existing products from their partnership and expect a loss of up to $250 million from the company’s net income due to the partnership’s termination.