After a series of events, adidas recently announced that they are revisiting the YEEZY line and the Kanye West partnership. In a statement to Hypebeast, an adidas spokesperson said that the company’s successful partnership is rooted in mutual respect and shared values, and the decision to review the partnership came after many efforts to resolve issues privately. Here’s the full brand statement:
adidas is committed to creativity, innovation and supporting athletes and artists to realize their vision. The adidas YEEZY collaboration is one of the most successful in our industry. We’re so proud of our team who worked tirelessly on Ye’s collaborations, which resulted in iconic products. We also understand that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values, and after many private problem-solving efforts, we decided to review the partnership. During this time, we will continue to co-manage the current product.
Kanye West began to publicly criticize a series of actions of adidas as early as June, including calling Adilette 22 plagiarism of YEEZY Slide, directly naming adidas executives and so on. With the official announcement of adidas, the cooperation between the two parties may change, and interested readers may wish to pay more attention to relevant news.