Adidas cuts ties with Kanye West over anti-semitism
Clothing giant, Adidas, has cut ties with rapper Ye, known as Kanye West, saying it does “not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech.”
Adidas’s Yeezy brand collaboration with Mr. West was put under review, after he showed a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt design at Paris Fashion Week.
Days later, the rapper posted anti-Semitic comments on his Twitter account.
“His products will be pulled from sale with immediate effect,” said Adidas.
The sportswear brand has previously said the Yeezy brand collaboration with Ye was one of the most successful in the company’s history.
Cutting the partnership means Adidas will make a net loss of £217m in 2022 as a result, it said.
Ye, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had previously accused Adidas of stealing his designs in a now-deleted Instagram post.
In a statement on Tuesday, Adidas wrote: “Adidas does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech. 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.”
Source: BBC
