2024-10-30 11:16:00
The American rapper and the three-band brand ended their collaboration in 2022 following numerous anti-Semitic outings from the man who now calls himself Ye. After an arbitration, the two parties decided to separate permanently. without financial exchanges ».
« There are no more open questions and there are no more flows of money in one direction or the other ». This is a big problem solved for the – very controversial – American rapper Ye (ex Kanye West) and Adidas. This statement from the chairman of the board of directors of the three-striped brand, Bjorn Gulden, puts an end to two years of legal proceedings. After a mutual agreement reached on Tuesday, October 29, the equipment manufacturer and the rapper have decided to part ways permanently « without financial exchanges ». Adidas and Ye have been in conflict via lawyers since the American subsidiary decided in October 2022 to abruptly end their collaboration.
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What was the reason? The interpreter of Stronger for several years he has been making accusations of racism and anti-Semitism. Last April he was accused, among other things, by a former employee of Yeezy (a subsidiary of Adidas) and of the Donda Academy – a school founded by the rapper – of having scolded black employees several times and of praising Adolf Hitler, defining him « be fabulous » et « of innovator ». This complaint was not the first. Previous statements had forced other brands, such as Gap and Balenciaga, to cut ties with the man we now nickname Ye. « I believe “thou” is the most commonly used word in the Bible, he explained on the microphone of “Big Boy TV” in 2021 . Ye means “you,” so I am you and I am we. »
Stronger (2009), cult title by Kanye West
« We don’t need to fight anymore »
Bjørn Gulden refused to provide details of the agreement, which was negotiated directly by the parties involved. « There was tension on many issues and when pitting one side’s demands against the other, both sides said they no longer needed to fight »he justified himself during a conference call. The head of Adidas is happy to put an end to this story that « It now belongs to the past ».
“This story belongs to the past”
Björn Gulden
A long story surrounding one of the fashion world’s most successful collaborations comes to an end. For the record, in 2014, Kanye West launched a new collection of sneakers with Adidas: the « Yeezy ». The phenomenal success around this pair of shoes, whose average price is around 300 euros, has contributed to making the American rapper a billionaire. With the decision to end the partnership in 2022, Adidas was left with a stock equivalent to 1.2 billion euros sales at your fingertips.
Adidas wants to fight anti-Semitism
But Adidas still wants to deal with what might seem like a terrible industrial accident. Rather than leave them in the factory or throw a nonsense of about 4 million pairs of sneakers in the garbage, the three stripes brand has decided to sell these shares in batches and donate part of the profits to associations that fight racism and anti -racism. Semitism. Another part of this money goes to the Adidas foundation, launched last March and which actively fights against discrimination. The rest of the Yeezys will be sold by the end of 2024 « at cost price »the company said.
Get rid of “ball” Kanye West, Adidas should resume the march forward. His other collections (Samba, Gazelle, Campus) are in fact selling like hot cakes all over the world. In China, for example, “Adidas wouldn’t be surprised » see a sales increase of 10% or more in the fourth quarter of 2024, Bjorn Gulden said.
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