Kanye West Puts Key Business Relationship in Jeopardy After Latest Controversy
Adidas has now officially placed Kanye West's partnership "under review," as a result of the rapper's latest "White Lives Matter" shirt scandal. "After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review," the company announced in a statement Thursday, per CNBC. "We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period." In response to Adidas' statement, West, 45, wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post, "F—ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS ADIDAS RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS."
Adidas first handled the manufacturing and distribution of Yeezy's clothing line in 2013 after the fashion designer collaborated with the company. The rapper formed an official partnership with the sportswear brand to produce and sell Yeezy clothing items in 2016. According to Page Six, West's deal was supposed to last until 2026, but in August, he started to express his dissatisfaction with the company. His recent public criticism of Adidas and its CEO comes after he accused the German brand of "copying my ideas."
A direct message from West to Complex magazine alleged that Adidas"picked colors and named them," "hired people that worked for [him]," "stole [his] colorways [and] styles," and hired a general manager without consulting him. According to the "Stronger" rapper, the corporation also delayed his Yeezy Gap partnership with Balenciaga. During the past few months, West has slammed the company online, posting pictures of board members and publicly criticizing CEO Kasper Rorsted on social media. He posted a doctored image of the New York Times front page falsely reporting Rorsted's death in early September.
Many people have condemned West for wearing a "White Lives Matter" shirt to his Oct. 3 fashion show, including Gigi Hadid. It was perceived as mocking Black Lives Matter, a movement aimed at raising awareness of discrimination, racism, and police violence against black people. Despite the backlash, West wrote on his Oct. 4 Instagram Stories, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME." A fashion company has previously cut ties with the "All Falls Down" rapper. A Gap spokesperson confirmed that the company ended its relationship with West last month because their "vision" was "not aligned." In a private document reviewed by Bloomberg via CNBC, UBS Group AG valued West's sneaker and apparel business with Adidas AG and Gap between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion.
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