Almost Discarded After Collaboration Ended in October Last Year
Sales Resumed at the End of May... Compromise Reached Through Profit Donation
Sports brand Adidas has made a decision after much deliberation to resume selling products collaborated with hip-hop star Ye (formerly known as Kanye West). Adidas had cut ties with Ye last October after he caused controversy with repeated anti-Semitic and Nazi-sympathizing remarks.
According to major foreign media reports on the 19th (local time), Adidas announced that it will resume sales of the 'Yeezy' shoes, a brand collaborated with Ye, starting from the end of May. Adidas began collaborating with Ye in 2013 to create the shoe and apparel brand 'Yeezy.' Thanks to the huge popularity of sneakers like the 'Yeezy Boost,' Adidas earned approximately $2 billion (about 2.6 trillion KRW) annually from this collaboration.
However, after Ye caused controversy last year with anti-Semitic and Nazi-sympathizing remarks, Adidas declared the termination of their collaboration in October and took on inventory worth 1.2 billion euros (about 1.7 trillion KRW). After months of deliberation over how to handle the inventory, Adidas found a solution in 'donating proceeds after sales.' Earlier in February, Bjørn Gulden, Adidas CEO, had suggested that they might dispose of the products collaborated with Ye without selling them.
Adidas did not specify the exact donation amount but stated that a 'substantial amount' will be given to organizations fighting against anti-Semitism. The donations will also be sent to groups related to George Floyd, a Black man who died due to excessive force by white police officers in 2020.
CEO Gulden said, "We believe this is the best solution to respect the already released designs and shoes," adding, "This not only solves the inventory issue but will also have a positive impact on our community." He continued, "There is no room for any hatred in sports or society. We will continue to fight against it."
Last October, Ye posted on Twitter that he would "execute 'death con 3' on the Jews." This was interpreted as a play on the U.S. military defense readiness condition 'DEFCON,' implying large-scale death of Jews. Two months later, he appeared on an internet broadcast run by far-right conspiracy theorists, claiming, "Hitler invented the microphone and the highway," and saying, "We must stop belittling the Nazis. I love the Nazis."
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