On February 26, Adidas officially declared the return of Yeezy products to the market. The renowned footwear brand announced the global release of the 350 V2 silhouette in the “Steel Grey” colorway.
Kanye West, the creator of Yeezy and collaborator with various companies on the venture, took to Instagram to share his thoughts on the news. In his post, he urged fans to avoid buying fake Yeezys from Adidas, likening the situation to a serious violation.
West’s caption expressed, “Anybody who loves Ye would not buy these fake Yeezys. I never made these colorways, I’m not getting paid off of them, and Adidas is suing me. All these celebrities and the public will stand against a T-shirt or the color of my hat, but when y’all see me have my children hidden from me or see an actual Fortune 500 company rape one of your heroes in real life, don’t nobody say nothing or do nothing.”
He continued, “As far as the system goes, what y’all gon’ do now? Take my album down again? Freeze my accounts again? Threaten people to not work with me again? All the new non-approved 350s are [corny], and everybody [knows]the 350 [has always]been corny.”
In October 2022, Adidas terminated its partnership with West following anti-Semitic remarks. They released a statement stating, “After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products, and stop all payments to Ye and his companies.”
According to AP News, Adidas experienced a $655 million drop in sales in the final quarter of that year, resulting in an overall net loss of approximately $551 million for 2022.
West continued his criticism of Adidas in an Instagram video today, highlighting issues such as unauthorized colorways, a $250 million lawsuit against him, and non-payment for shoes with his name on them. He expressed frustration at contractual clauses being used to exploit artists and called attention to the situation of one of people’s favorite artists being mistreated in broad daylight.
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