Investors have sued Adidas, alleging that the company was aware of Kanye West’s problematic behavior well before it terminated its partnership with him, resulting in financial losses.
The sportswear giant denied the claims, stating that it would defend itself against them. Although West’s collaboration with Adidas ended due to his anti-Semitic comments, the investors allege that the company failed to take appropriate precautions to minimize their losses.
West is not part of the lawsuit, but he designed the successful Yeezy brand trainers for Adidas. The company has acknowledged that it could suffer losses of up to €700m from unsold Yeezy products. The investors claim that Adidas knew about other questionable behavior by West, including a meeting in 2018 where senior executives discussed how to mitigate the risk of staff interacting with him, and the possibility of severing ties with him.
After ending their partnership with West in October of last year, Adidas initiated an inquiry following reports of a “toxic environment” created by him within the company. Rolling Stone magazine released excerpts from an open letter written by Adidas employees alleging that the management was aware of West’s “problematic behavior” but chose to ignore it.
Read also:what makes Jonathan Majors a unique actor?
Adidas responded by stating that they were unsure about the veracity of the anonymous accusations made in the letter. Nonetheless, the company declared that they take the allegations seriously and have launched an independent investigation into the matter.
During Paris Fashion Week in October, West showcased a fashion show featuring models wearing clothing with the slogan “White Lives Matter.” This phrase has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as a “white supremacist phrase” that originated in 2015 as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement. In the same month, West faced criticism and had his Instagram and Twitter accounts suspended for making anti-Semitic comments.
