Hitler-worship, porn in the boardroom and psycH๏τic meltdowns… GUY ADAMS investigates how Kanye West’s multi-billion trainer line with Adidas became the most toxic celebrity tie-up in history
Among the many items of designer clobber that Kanye West has worn during his two decades of global mega-stardom is a black, long-sleeved sweatshirt bearing an image of the late pope John Paul II.
On its front is the slogan ‘Seguiremos tu ejemplo’, a Spanish phrase which roughly means ‘We will follow your example’. On the back, in large white capital letters, are three words: ‘WHITE LIVES MATTER’.
This sweater almost certainly cost a pittance to make: copycat versions can be purchased online for around £30. Yet the exact one West modelled, at Paris Fashion Week last October, is in some ways the most expensive item of clothing ever made.
To understand why, simply cast an eye over the financial results that sportswear company Adidas unveiled last week.
Here, we can — for the first time — see the full cost of the brand’s decision to sever commercial ties with West in the aftermath of his decision to wear this highly provocative, racially charged sweater on the red carpet.
Prior to this point, the collaboration had been a huge commercial success.
By the end of the month, Adidas shares — which are listed in Germany — had hit a six-year low of €99, from a high of nearly €320, meaning that its overall market value had fallen by a total of around €45 billion.
The German firm — the world’s second biggest sportswear brand — has since made back around €750 million by offloading what remains of its stock of Yeezy products. But its latest results reveal that it will nonetheless still lose €100 million this year.
In other words, the whole thing has been a commercial disaster. But the fall of Adidas is more than just a cautionary tale about a squeaky-clean brand tethering its fortune to a volatile celebrity.
Instead, it shows what happens when unchecked greed and cynicism make a supposedly ‘woke’ corporation completely lose sight of its moral compᴀss.
We can say this with some confidence thanks to a lengthy exposé that has just been published by the New York Times. It alleges that Adidas let West, the 46-year-old ex-husband of reality TV star Kim Kardashian, create a grotesquely hostile workplace in which employees were routinely subjected to Sєxual and anti-Semitic abuse.
Scandalously, despite the supposed commitment to ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ that is endlessly trumpeted on the Adidas website, it’s claimed senior executives neglected to moderate his behaviour for years. Their lucrative partnership was simply too valuable.
The U.S. newspaper highlights a string of deeply unedifying episodes. In one, West advised an Adidas executive, who happened to be Jewish, to kiss a picture of Adolf Hitler each day ‘to practice unconditional love’, as the rap artist admired the Fuhrer’s use of propaganda.
