Adidas has ended its “fight” with Kanye West over anti-Semitic comments he made in 2022, which resulted in the sports brand’s “Yeezy” collaboration with the American rapper being scuppered.
Adidas discontinued the line at the time and began selling Yeezy inventory at wholesale prices.
However, Adidas said on Tuesday it had reached a settlement with West, ending all legal proceedings between the two parties.
“There [aren’t] Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden said on a conference call: “If more unresolved issues arise, then … there will be no funding either way.”
“There are tensions on many issues [but]… Both sides have said we don’t need to fight anymore,” Goulden said on a conference call about the company’s latest financial results.
He added that the drama with West “belongs to the past.”
“When a conflict like this arises, you take stipulations, take legal advice, negotiate and reach a settlement, and that’s the end of it.
“Nobody owes anybody anything anymore. Whatever happens, it’s history,” he said.
Adidas was left with Yeezy shares worth around €1.2bn (£840m) after the partnership ended, with the sports brand selling products in bulk and donating proceeds to NGOs, including its recently launched anti-discrimination foundation.
The company said final Yeezy inventory will be available before the end of 2024.
The decision to end the “fight” is in stark contrast to 2022. Adidas said at the time that it “does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other type of hate speech.”
It added: “Ye’s recent comments and actions are unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
Adidas and Mr West began working together in 2014, creating a highly successful sportswear brand.
Even after the fad passed, demand for Yeezy products continued unabated, with many Yeezy sneakers doing well on the resale market, selling for hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of pounds.
In October 2022, West’s accounts on Instagram and X (then known as Twitter) were suspended after he made a series of anti-Semitic comments.
Over the next two months, he repeated the claims in a few interviews and podcasts, but not all of them were aired.
In December that year, Mr West appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ show InfoWars, where he spoke of his admiration for Adolf Hitler.
The rapper, who is now separated from celebrity Kim Kardashian, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago and has spoken openly about the challenges he faces with his mental health.
