Kanye may not be sorry for his blow on the Jewish community, but the world is definitely responding. Adidas has done it too. After French fashion house Balenciaga severed all ties with Ye, fans were urging Adidas to terminate its business partnership with the rapper following his anti-semitic remarks. Well, the moment has finally arrived. This termination marks the end of “a lucrative arrangement that has produced the popular Yeezy collection of sneakers”.
Adidas Stands Against Anti-Semitism
As Kanye West’s other collaborators like Balenciaga, Vogue and even his legal team cut ties with the “Heartless rapper”, the German sportswear giant, Adidas was facing massive backlash from fans to terminate its partnership with Ye. Well, the moment has finally arrived.
Adidas terminated its partnership with Ye today (Oct. 25) over his antisemitic remarks, a move that will impact their bottom line by up to $256 million this year. In a statement, the German sportswear giant mentioned:
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism 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.” The company was in a fashion collaboration called “Adidas Yeezy” with West for seven years.
What Does This Termination Mean?
Adidas revealed that following a “thorough review”, the company has decided to end its collaboration with Kanye West, meaning that they will stop producing Yeezy-branded products and cancel all payments to his companies. In the statement, it’s written, “Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect,” the statement said.
Further, the German sportwear company cited that amid the “high seasonality of the fourth quarter” – which includes Black Friday and Christmas – terminating this partnership will negatively impact its net income this year by €250 million ($256 million). Despite, this the company is respecting its decision and revealed that it won’t tolerate antisemitism or hate speech of any kind.
FYI, the statement suggests that Adidas is the “sole owner of all design rights” under this partnership, therefore, the rapper cannot attempt to reproduce the designs with a new manufacturer, giving him an instant financial blow.
The much-awaited move comes following his repeated attacks on the Jewish community. If you’re not aware, Kanye tweeted on Oct. 8: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti-Semitic because black people are actually Jews also You guys have toyed with me and tried to blackball anyone who opposes your agenda.” His Twitter and Instagram were suspended during that week.
Not only this, but on his appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” last week, Ye revealed that he has no regret threatening to go “DEFCON 3 on Jewish people. He even went on an antisemitic tirade on “Drink Champs” where he also made false statements regarding George Floyd’s death.
As a result of Ye’s attacks, a banner was hung by a white supremacist group above the 405 freeway in Los Angeles reading “Kanye is right about the Jews.” This has escalated hate attacks against the Jewish community. Since then, many celebrities, including his ex-wife Kim K., have come forward to show their support for Jews following Kanye’s hate speech and instigating violence against the community.
