Sneaker news: Adidas terminates relationship with Kanye West

Adidas announced on Tuesday morning that it has terminated its relationship with Kanye West and ended production of Yeezy-branded products effective immediately.

The brand released a statement, noting that, “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.”

Brands and collaborators have been cutting ties with West after a series of controversial actions, including wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt at a Paris fashion show, making anti-Semitic statements that led to him being kicked off Instagram and Twitter and making false claims about the death of George Floyd that have led his family to plan to sue West for $250 million. CAA cut ties with West already this week and a completed documentary has been shelved.

Adidas had been under pressure to cut ties to West and had previously said its relationship was “under review.” Just yesterday, an Adidas director called out the company for maintaining its ties to the troubled star. In its statement, Adidas said it will lose $246 million in net income this year by cutting ties with West.

The brand and the star had a tumultuous relationship of late, with West claiming Adidas stole his designs and made “knock offs” as well as saying the brand created Yeezy Day and released colorways without his approval. West has also antagonized the brand and its executives on social media for months, but clearly West’s out of bounds behavior in the past few weeks proved to be the tipping point.

Adidas did note that it “is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products,” so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that some of the Yeezy designs could return at some point without the Yeezy branding or ties to West.