Adidas terminates their partnership with Kanye!

Last week, it was reported that after Balenciaga severed ties with Kanye West that other companies would follow suit. This week started off no different, Adidas has decided to end its partnership with the Chicago rapper. Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise but is still very disappointing. His partnership with the brand began in 2015 after Kanye left Nike. Adidas went on record to say ”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.”

“Adidas has decided to end its partnership with the Chicago rapper.”

There is speculation about where the brand severed is ties completely because of its employees and her posts about Adidas not taking action against Kanye West. Sarah Camhi, Adidas’s Director of Trade Marketing posted on LinkedIn about how the brand can not only speak about inclusion but be intentional about its partnerships and intentional about their actions when one of their own does something wrong. Here is her some of her statement below

“Coming off of the adidas global week of inclusion, I am feeling anything but included. As a member of the Jewish community, I can no longer stay silent on behalf of the brand that employs me. Not saying anything, is saying everything.

She further went on to say that Adidas has to do better by their employees and the communities they serve.
Camhi is not wrong by a long shot and it looks like they listened. To be fair though, Adidas had to make a statement and do something, they are a German company. Germany and the Jewish community have not always if ever had a positive relationship so in fairness Adidas did the right thing. The loss of this partnership will cost the brand $246 million dollars per quarter, $1billion in total but that’s a drop in the bucket for them and they are sure to bounce back.