Adidas has officially cut ties with Kanye West after conducting a “peer review” of their partnership with the Donda 2 artist earlier this month.
Kanye West and Adidas are no more. After a round-up of brands and influencers have cut ties with the Donda 2 artist, the sportswear company formerly announced that they have dropped the musician for his offensive and antisemitic remarks on Tuesday (October 25). According to Variety, the termination will impact Adidas’ 2022 net income by €250 million ($246 million), although the company said the decline will be short-lived.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a statement. “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 continued: “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.”
The collaboration between Adidas and West began in 2015, with the artist’s Yeezy brand becoming one of the fastest-selling footwear models, with styles including the Yeezy Boost and Foam Runner.
Prior to being dropped by the company, Ye criticized Adidas for allegedly plagiarizing his designs. On a now-pulled Drink Champs episode, Ye taunted the footwear brand, claiming, “I can say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?” The hashtag #BoycottAdidas began trending on Twitter since the clip was posted.
Adidas now joins a list of other brands and influencers that have since denounced Ye, including Creative Artists Agency (CAA), MRC Entertainment, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour,and Ye’s former wife Kim Kardashian.
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