Two years after controversial split, Adidas and Ye reach mutual conclusion.
Two years after a public fallout, German sportswear giant adidas and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, have reached a settlement to conclude all legal claims related to their terminated Yeezy partnership. The agreement, finalized outside of court, includes no payments from either side, adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden shared with Business of Fashion. No financial obligations remain between the two parties “Both parties agreed it was time to stop fighting and withdrew all claims,” said Gulden. “No one owes anybody anything anymore. So whatever was, is history.” A costly separation driven by inflammatory remarks The rift began in 2022 after Ye’s series of inflammatory statements, culminating in comments challenging Jewish identities and spreading harmful conspiracy theories. This behavior led adidas to formally end their Yeezy collaboration, which had been generating over $1 billion USD annually and securing Ye’s status as a billionaire. According to The New York Times, adidas had tolerated Ye’s misconduct for nearly a decade to maintain their profitable collaboration, despite instances of antisemitic and sexually offensive comments and erratic demands from the rapper. Adidas expects to sell remaining Yeezy inventory by year-end Following the breakup, adidas was left with nearly $1.3 billion USD in Yeezy inventory, which it has been gradually selling off. The brand expects to conclude all remaining sales by the end of the year.
