Adidas has responded to Kanye West, now known as Ye, after the rapper accused the brand of undermining his Yeezy partnership. In a fiery Instagram post, Ye claimed Adidas was prioritizing its own website over his Yeezy.com site in search results for “Yeezy.” He declared their partnership over, writing, “Stop doing this… Our partnership is done.”
In response to the accusations, Adidas appears to have removed all references to “Yeezy” from its website. Searches for “Yeezy” now redirect to the “Originals” collection, and mentions of “Kanye West” have been completely removed. This move suggests Adidas is keen on distancing itself from the Yeezy brand and its controversial founder, signaling a clear break in their once-prominent collaboration.
The relationship between Adidas and Ye had already faced challenges after their partnership was severed in 2022 due to antisemitism allegations against Ye. At that time, Adidas considered writing off $320 million worth of unsold Yeezy merchandise. However, the brand later decided to sell the remaining inventory “at least at cost” in 2024, attempting to recoup some losses.
In October, the company’s CEO Bjorn Gulden confirmed that all legal disputes with Ye had been resolved. He stated, “There isn’t any more open issues, and there is no… money going either way,” indicating that both parties had agreed to put the matter behind them.
Despite the resolution of legal matters, Ye’s recent remarks have rekindled tensions. Adidas’ decision to erase Yeezy-related content from its website further suggests the brand is moving forward without Ye and trying to reshape its image without the controversial figure.
