The German sports equipment manufacturer Adidas announced on Tuesday that it was “immediately” stopping its collaboration with Kanye West, now known as Ye, after anti-Semitic remarks made by the American rapper in recent weeks. “After careful consideration, the company has made the decision to immediately end the partnership with Ye,” the group said in a statement. “Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism or any other form of hate speech,” he added.
Stopping production of Yeezy-branded products
The German group also announced on Tuesday “to end the manufacture of products” from the rapper’s Yeezy brand. The collaboration between the three-stripe brand and the American star has long been one of the most successful in the fashion world. In development since 2014, the rapper’s Yeezy sneaker collection has enjoyed phenomenal success that helped make Kanye West a billionaire
Relations between the two partners had deteriorated significantly in recent months in connection with the various escapades of the star. Ye was suspended from Twitter after tweeting that he was going to attack Jews in a post that the social network has since deleted for breaking its rules. He was also suspended from Instagram.
End of collaboration with Balenciaga
Previously, the rapper had criticized commercial initiatives of Adidas taken, according to him, without his agreement. The German company had indicated in early October that it would review its relationship with Kanye West. The rapper had appeared a few days earlier wearing a t-shirt crossed out with the slogan “White Lives Matter” during a fashion show in Paris. This slogan, used by the American far right, diverts the name of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which campaigns against racism against African-Americans.
Adidas recalls being “the sole owner of all design rights for existing products (…) under the partnership”, anticipating a possible legal battle to come. The group will also “stop all payments to Ye and his companies”. This decision will have “a short-term negative impact of up to 250 million euros on the net result” of the company in 2022.
Last week, fashion house Balenciaga also ended its collaboration with the singer. Kanye West, who says he has bipolar disorder, was previously banned from Instagram posts for 24 hours in March amid his acrimonious divorce from American star Kim Kardashian.