Adidas has officially closed its dispute with Kanye West over antisemitic remarks he made in 2022, which had abruptly ended their highly profitable “Yeezy” partnership.
Following West’s comments, Adidas initially halted Yeezy production, selling off remaining inventory at discounted prices.
However, on Tuesday, Adidas announced a settlement with West to conclude all legal issues.
Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden confirmed there are “no more open issues and no money going either way” between the two parties, stating, “The tensions on many issues have been resolved, and both parties agreed there was no need to continue the fight.”
Ending the partnership left Adidas holding about €1.2 billion in Yeezy stock.
The company has been gradually selling the inventory, with profits supporting NGOs and its own anti-discrimination initiatives, and expects to fully clear its Yeezy stock by the end of 2024.
This resolution comes as a shift from Adidas’s stance in 2022, when it emphasized its zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism and condemned West’s remarks as harmful and antithetical to its values of diversity and respect.
Despite the controversy, demand for Yeezy products remained high, with resale prices climbing into the hundreds and thousands of pounds.
Kanye West, whose struggles with bipolar disorder are publicly known, faced widespread backlash and social media account suspensions following his comments.
West and Adidas began their collaboration in 2014, creating one of the brand’s most successful collections.
The recent settlement, however, underscores that the partnership is firmly a thing of the past, as Adidas and West each move forward separately.
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