It appears Adidas is trying to make up for its slow response to cutting business ties with Kanye West following his antisemitic tirade last year.
The German athletic apparel and footwear corporation, which is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, has decided to donate a portion of its upcoming profits from its Yeezy products to the Anti-Defamation League and other charities ‘working to combat discrimination and hate, including racism and antisemitism.’
TMZ is reporting the company is expected to start selling off the remainder of its Yeezy sneakers and other inventory items within days, which will mark the first time consumers can buy Yeezy products since October 25, when Adidas broke off business ties with the rapper and entrepreneur.
Adidas was criticized for not severing the partnership with West sooner, with some critics pointing out that he began his offensive rants and tirades on social media and in interviews several weeks earlier in October.
Adidas first partnered with the Atlanta native back in 2013, and the two sides would go on to broker a deal in 2016 that was described as the ‘most significant partnership ever created between a non-athlete and an athletic brand,’ according to USA Today.
When it rains it pours: In the wake of Kanye West’s rants and tirades in October 2022, including antisemitic remarks, Adidas will donate a portion of its upcoming profits from its remaining Yeezy products to the Anti-Defamation League and other charities
Along with the Anti-Defamation League, the Philonise and Keeta Floyd Institute For Social Change, which was started by George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd, will also benefit from the Yeezy sell-off.
The institute works to provide resources for underfunded communities similar to the ones that he and George Floyd grew up in and to combat injustice, according to The Huntington News.
While it’s unclear exactly how much money will be given to the charities, what is known is that Adidas estimates there’s about $1.3 billion worth of Yeezy products left over since the company ended its partnership with the embattled Praise God rapper.
The controversy behind the business fall out for West began when he and some of his models wore a shirt emblazoned with the phrase ‘White Lives Matter’ on its back for his Yeezy Paris Fashion Week show on October 3.
The Southern Poverty Law Center says the phrase is one that was adopted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The controversy did not stop there for West, who then doubled down on his comments on Instagram, and later took to Twitter to use antisemitic rhetoric in his posts and in interviews.
One of the most infamous of his posts was when he appeared to threaten Jewish people in a tweet that came shortly after his Instagram account was restricted for content viewed by some users as antisemitic.
‘I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,’ he began in the controversial post on October 8, 2022.
‘The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda,’ he wrote, in one of his first tweets in two years.
Large Yeezy inventory left over: While it’s unclear exactly how much money from the Adidas-Yeezy deal will be given to charities, Adidas does estimate there’s about $1.3 billion worth of Yeezy products left over since the company ended its partnership on October 25
Controversy! One of West’s most infamous remarks during his tirade on social media and in interviews was when he seemed to threaten Jewish people by writing how he was ‘going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE’ in a tweet
Yeezy sell-off donations: Along with the Anti-Defamation League, the Philonise and Keeta Floyd Institute For Social Change, which was started by George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd, will also benefit from the Yeezy sell-off
The post, which was criticized by various Jewish organizations, was later removed by Twitter for violating its rules.
West also had some extremely controversial takes regarding George Floyd’s tragic death back in Minneapolis in May 2020.
During an appearance on Drink Champs podcast, West claimed that Floyd died from ‘fentanyl’ and said that a police officer’s knee ‘wasn’t even on his neck like that’, as reported by NME.
He made the comments while discussing Candace Owens’s documentary The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd And The Rise Of BLM.
The reaction from the public was swift, with several companies, including The Gap, Balenciaga and others, deciding to terminate their relationships and brand deals with West.
