Kanye West Reignites Controversy With Adidas

Kanye West has reignited his conflict with Adidas, his former partner in the Yeezy shoe brand, accusing the company of unfair practices. He shared an Instagram post criticizing Adidas for “design theft and oppression” and accused the company of taking actions to “hold me back.” This comes months after Adidas’ CEO claimed their legal disputes with West had been resolved.

West, who previously had a billionaire status according to Forbes, saw his wealth plummet after Adidas ended their partnership following his controversial antisemitic comments. In his Instagram post, West shared a screenshot showing the Adidas website appearing above his own Yeezy merchandise site when searching “Yeezy” on Google. He blamed Adidas for manipulating the search results and demanded, “Stop doing this,” accusing the company of trying to “intimidate and oppress me.”

Referring to his fallout with Adidas in October 2022, West stated the company retaliated against him after he stood up against their alleged “design theft.” Though he did not specify which designs were copied, West has made such claims in the past. He also criticized Adidas designer Jerry Lorenzo for staying loyal to the company, calling him “disloyal” and accusing him of copying one of West’s past Hollywood Bowl fashion shows.

Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden had previously said their issues with West were resolved, stating, “Whatever was is history,” and confirming that neither party owed the other anything. Adidas planned to sell off its remaining Yeezy stock by the end of 2024, earning $437 million from the first batch. Part of these earnings was donated to organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and a foundation linked to George Floyd’s family. Currently, searching for “Yeezy” on Adidas’ website shows no results.

West’s net worth, once estimated at $2 billion, largely came from his Yeezy collaboration with Adidas. However, his fortune dropped after his antisemitic remarks in 2022, including a tweet threatening to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” and comments targeting Jewish record labels. He also wore a controversial “White Lives Matter” shirt and reportedly admired Adolf Hitler, according to CNN. By December 2023, West apologized to the Jewish community in Hebrew on Instagram. Forbes now estimates his net worth at $400 million, which comes from his real estate, music catalog, and a small share in Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand.

Despite losing his fashion empire, West has remained successful in music. In 2024, he released two collaborative albums with Ty Dolla $ign, “Vultures 1” and “Vultures 2.” “Vultures 1” reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart, with its single “Carnival” becoming a No. 1 hit. West has also teased a solo album, “Bully,” which has no release date yet. He held a listening event for the album in China, where he premiered a track titled “Beauty and the Beast.”
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