{"id":106976,"date":"2022-10-24T22:57:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T22:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pressure-grows-on-adidas-to-cut-ties-with-kanye-west-and-yeezy\/"},"modified":"2022-10-24T22:57:14","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T22:57:14","slug":"pressure-grows-on-adidas-to-cut-ties-with-kanye-west-and-yeezy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pressure-grows-on-adidas-to-cut-ties-with-kanye-west-and-yeezy\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressure grows on Adidas to cut ties with Kanye West and Yeezy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-grBDNq hide-for-print mb-sm undefined\">\n<div class=\"PJLV PJLV-iAjpuP-css flex items-center\" config=\"[object Object]\" data-qa=\"article-actions\">\n<div class=\"wpds-c-fLphcs\">\n<div class=\"wpds-c-jmLDag wpds-c-jmLDag-bywHgD-variant-primary wpds-c-jmLDag-biynoz-density-compact wpds-c-jmLDag-hZSyid-isOutline-true wpds-c-jmLDag-ejCoEP-icon-left wpds-c-jmLDag-futxca-cv wpds-c-jmLDag-iknmtxO-css\"><button aria-label=\"Comment\" class=\"PJLV PJLV-iPnDcc-css\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"wpds-c-kKAfCG wpds-c-efqEZa focus-highlight flex items-center justify-center brad-lg pointer transition-400 ease-in-out transition-colors\" aria-label=\"Comment on this story\"><title>Comment on this story<\/title><path d=\"M14 14V2H2v9.47h8.18L12.43 13ZM3 10.52V3h10v9.23l-2.5-1.66Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p>Comment<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"teaser-content grid-center\">\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Pressure mounted on Monday for sportswear giant Adidas to sever ties with rapper and fashion designer Ye, the artist better known as Kanye West, after weeks of antisemitic comments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">In Los Angeles on Sunday, a hate group hung a banner on a highway overpass that read, \u201cHonk if you know Kanye is right about the Jews,\u201d while offering Nazi salutes to oncoming traffic.  A picture of the incident went viral, prompting celebrities and other public figures to call out the German company over its partnership with the artist and his wildly popular Yeezy brand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">But Adidas has instead set release dates for the new line of Yeezy sneakers, even after Ye floated terminating the endorsement deal himself and disparaged company executives by name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Anti-Defamation League executive Jonathan Greenblatt told The Washington Post that he held a number of conversations with senior Adidas executives and shareholders over the weekend to discuss Ye.  The response was \u201cinsufficient,\u201d Greenblatt said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">\u201cAt this point we are kind of flummoxed how Adidas has dropped the ball and failed to make a clear and cogent statement about their values,\u201d he said.  \u201cAntisemitism should be unacceptable in any circumstance.  The fact that Adidas has not made that simple point is shocking when one considers Adidas&#8217;s history as a company that once outfitted the Hitler Youth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\">Kanye West could cost Adidas reputation with antisemitic posts<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">The partnership between artist and sportswear giant began in 2013, made Ye a billionaire and helped Adidas reach a new customer base, one that Morningstar analyst David Swartz says helped generate the company an estimated $2 billion a year, or nearly 10 percent of its annual revenue .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">But like most major retailers, Adidas also is drowning in excess inventory.  Its business in China is also rapidly declining, leading the company to announce Thursday that it had lowered its profitability outlook for 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">The company has been reviewing its partnership with Ye for three weeks, after he donned a \u201cWHITE LIVES MATTER\u201d shirt at Paris Fashion Week on Oct.  3, then threatened to \u201cGo death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE\u201d in a tweet.  He was later locked out of his Twitter and Instagram accounts for violating their terms of use policies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Over the weekend, footage resurfaced on Twitter of an interview taped in early October in which Ye gloated: \u201cI can say antisemitic things and Adidas can&#8217;t drop me.  Now what?\u201d  The episode of the podcast \u201cDrink Champs\u201d was subsequently pulled because Ye also espoused disinformation about the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in police custody.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">And leaked video of his interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, released by Motherboard earlier this month, showed the artist using antisemitic language, suggesting his kids should learn about Hanukkah and not Kwanzaa because \u201cat least it would come with some financial engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\">Perspective: Why is it so hard for most of us to quit Kanye West?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">The fallout continued when a producer of \u201cThe Shop,\u201d an unscripted series on HBO hosted by LeBron James, told Andscape that the show had cut its episode with Ye, citing his use of \u201chate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">But Adidas, whose founders had ties to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, has been silent on the relationship even as other companies have taken action.  on Friday,<b> <\/b>the<b> <\/b>French fashion house Balenciaga ended its partnership with Ye.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">On Monday, the talent agency CAA dropped Ye as a client, citing his antisemitic rants, while Hollywood financier and producer MRC shelved a documentary on him that already was in production.  In a news release, it said Ye had \u201csampled and remixed a classic tune that has charted for over 3,000 years \u2014 the lie that Jews are evil and conspire to control the world for their own gain.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Gap and Ye, which had plans to open stand-alone Yeezy stores, split in September, a division long sought by the artist and one that predated his most recent behavior.  Gap, however, continues to feature Yeezy products for sale on its website and hyped the launch of a new hoodie on Friday in an email marketing push.  Gap spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Adidas representatives also did not respond to requests for comment nor offer public remarks to other news outlets or on company social media.  The company typically does not comment on Ye and his stunts, like when he said slavery was a choice and publicly disparaged the chief executive.  Swartz, the Morningstar analyst, believes Adidas is sticking to this strategy but warns that it will not work this time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\">Company says Kanye West plans to buy social media app Parler<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Ye \u201cis becoming more incendiary \u2026 it is close to the point where it is not viable anymore,\u201d Swartz said.  And while it is hard to speculate what the thinking is at Adidas, \u201cit is clearly something they do not really want to face,\u201d he added.  \u201cBut they have to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Then there are practical considerations.  A breakup of this magnitude is complicated, Swartz said.  Production plans are made far in advance, often taking six to 18 months between the time an item is designed, manufactured, shipped and released for sale.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">\u201cThey cannot suddenly stop all their plans for Yeezy shoes,\u201d he said.  \u201cIt is not easy to stop without a huge loss, which clearly is something Adidas does not want at the moment given their other problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">But now the company is coming under fire from high-profile artists and business leaders.  A Sunday tweet by actress <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OfficialKat\/status\/1584235920588349440\" target=\"_blank\">Kat Dennings<\/a> seemed to sum up the sentiment: \u201cThe world is watching, @adidas.\u201d  Actress and director America Ferrera called on Adidas to drop Ye in an Instagram post, adding: \u201cDo not amplify that man&#8217;s influence.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Comedian and actor <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshgad\/status\/1583556045808365570\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Gad<\/a> posted on Twitter: \u201cThis is not a good person.  This is a person who&#8217;s dangerous rhetoric continues to go unchecked.  Hey @adidas, is this right?  Can he single out a single faith and group of people with hatred and vitriol and it doesn&#8217;t matter?  Asking for a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p><span class=\"font--article-body font-copy hide-for-print ma-0 pb-md db italic interstitial\">Perspective: Kanye West is boring when it comes to larger culture<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Alexander Vindman, a former White House national security official and a key figure in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump, tweeted: \u201cI&#8217;m a little shocked that @adidas has still made no statement denouncing hate and anti-semitism, let alone firing @kanyewest&#8217;s ass.  Adidas seems more than happy to accept being [branded] a hate supporting company.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Meanwhile, in an editorial for the Financial Times, the chief executive of the Endeavor entertainment and media agency said companies that work with Ye, including Adidas, Spotify and Apple, should end their deals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">\u201cThose who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience,\u201d Ari Emanuel wrote.  \u201cThere should be no tolerance anywhere for West&#8217;s antisemitism.  This is a moment in history where the stakes are high and being open about our values, and living them, is essential.  Silence and inaction are not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">Greenblatt, the Anti-Defamation League chief executive, said celebrities, athletes, sports leagues and others in business with Adidas should demand it dismiss Ye or abandon their own partnerships.  Adidas manufactures uniforms for the National Hockey League;  sponsors dozens of professional basketball, baseball, football and soccer players;  and outfits dozens of top-tier college athletic departments.  Along with Ye, it has major fashion collaborations with Beyonc\u00e9 and Bad Bunny.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-body\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p data-qa=\"drop-cap-letter\" data-el=\"text\" class=\"wpds-c-cYdRxM wpds-c-cYdRxM-iPJLV-css font-copy\">\u201cI think entertainers, leagues, teams, universities all need to ask themselves what does it mean to be in partnership with a company like Adidas, which refuses to step up and reject anti-Jewish hate,\u201d Greenblatt said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"b bt bc-offblack dn-ns hide-for-print\" data-testid=\"mostRead\" subscriptions-section=\"content\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Comment on this story Comment Pressure mounted on Monday for sportswear giant Adidas to sever ties with rapper and fashion designer Ye, the artist better known as Kanye West, after weeks of antisemitic comments. In Los Angeles on Sunday, a hate group hung a banner on a highway overpass that read, \u201cHonk if you know &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pressure-grows-on-adidas-to-cut-ties-with-kanye-west-and-yeezy\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Pressure grows on Adidas to cut ties with Kanye West and Yeezy<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":108186,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/adidas-terminates-relationship-with-kanye-west-after-pressure-to-cut-ties-over-antisemitic-comments\/","url_meta":{"origin":106976,"position":0},"title":"Adidas terminates relationship with Kanye West after pressure to cut ties over antisemitic comments","date":"October 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Adidas has cut ties with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after facing pressure to end its partnership with the rapper in the wake of his antisemitic comments with backlash mounting against the entertainer and leading to him losing additional business deals. \u201cAdidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":106855,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kanye-west-dropped-by-caa-adidas-remains-silent-as-outrage-grows-over-antisemitic-comments\/","url_meta":{"origin":106976,"position":1},"title":"Kanye West dropped by CAA, Adidas remains silent as outrage grows over antisemitic comments","date":"October 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As pressure mounts for brands to cut ties with Kanye West, the rapper's biggest corporate partner remains awfully quiet: Adidas. But West's former partner, Kim Kardashian, (sort of) broke her silence on Monday as CAA dropped West as a client.Adidas started working with West in 2013, but after his \"White\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":113194,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kanye-wests-yeezy-products-are-still-being-sold-on-farfetch-website\/","url_meta":{"origin":106976,"position":2},"title":"Kanye West&#8217;s Yeezy Products Are Still Being Sold on Farfetch Website","date":"October 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Global fashion platform Farfetch is still selling more than 200 Yeezy products on its site. Companies including Adidas and Balenciaga have cut ties with West following his antisemitic comments. Foot Locker is also pulling products from its online and brick-and-mortar stores. loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":108867,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/sell-yeezy-searches-spike-by-500-after-adidas-ends-deal-with-kanye-west\/","url_meta":{"origin":106976,"position":3},"title":"&#8216;Sell Yeezy&#8217; Searches Spike by 500% After Adidas Ends Deal With Kanye West","date":"October 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When Adidas decided to stop producing products for Kanye Westpeople from around the globe rushed to the Internet to check the temp of selling the popular Yeezy shoe. Google searches for the phrase \"sell Yeezy\" skyrocketed a whopping 581% Wednesday -- according to data commissioned by Celeb Tattler -- after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":96045,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/jpmorgan-chase-terminates-relationship-with-kanye-west\/","url_meta":{"origin":106976,"position":4},"title":"JPMorgan Chase Terminates Relationship With Kanye West","date":"October 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"JPMorgan Chase bank has reportedly ended its working relationship with Kanye West. Prominent conservative Candace Owens tweeted a picture of a letter she said was sent to West by the bank. Owens and West were seen together earlier this month wearing \"White Lives Matter\" shirts. loading Something is loading. Thanks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":110993,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kanye-west-what-took-adidas-gap-and-others-so-long-to-cut-ties\/","url_meta":{"origin":106976,"position":5},"title":"Kanye West: What took Adidas, Gap and others so long to cut ties?","date":"October 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"new York CNN Business \u2014 Earlier this week Adidas ended its partnership with rapper and fashion designer Ye (who previously went by Kanye West). Its decision came around the same time that a flurry of other companies also cut ties with the artist \u2014 but weeks after Ye began making\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/27VEUDOOJVSQDM5QCIILYMEVKY.jpg&w=1440","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106976"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106976\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}