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ADIDAS

Adidas to sell part of Yeezy gear end-May and donate proceeds

Adidas said Friday it would begin selling part of its huge inventory of Kanye West's Yeezy products in May, and donate proceeds to NGOs including one founded by the brother of George Floyd.

Adidas - Kanye
Adidas said on May 19th, 2023 it will begin selling part of its huge inventory of Kanye West's Yeezy products in May, and donate proceeds to NGOs including one founded by the brother of George Floyd. The merchandise has been in limbo since Adidas ended its partnership with the controversial rapper in October 2022. Photo by: CHRISTOF STACHE, Jean-Baptiste Lacroix / AFP

The merchandise has been in limbo since Adidas ended its partnership with the controversial rapper in October 2022.

The apparel group did not provide any details on the quantity of stocks it would put on the market in its initial release at the end of May.

It said only that “a range of existing designs will be available exclusively” through the website adidas.com/yeezy and the adidas CONFIRMED app.

“Additional releases of existing inventory are currently under consideration, but timing is yet to be determined,” it said.

Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden said the group had made its decision as “selling and donating was the preferred option among all organisations and stakeholders we spoke to.

“We believe this is the best solution as it respects the created designs and produced shoes, it works for our people, resolves an inventory problem, and will have a positive impact in our communities.”

The proceeds will go to organisations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, the group said.

Philonise Floyd is the brother of George Floyd, a Black American murdered by a white police officer who pinned him to the ground by kneeling on his neck for nearly 10 minutes.

Adidas halted its tie-up with West – now known formally as Ye – after he made a series of anti-Semitic outbursts.

As a result, the group ended production of the highly successful Yeezy line designed together with West.

Not selling the apparel and shoes linked to West would potentially lead to a revenue loss of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion), the group said when it announced its 2022 full-year results earlier in May.

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SPORT

‘Lack of patriotism’: German football team to cut ties with Adidas after 70 years

German football's decision to drop Adidas as its kit supplier sparked dismay in the government on Friday, with the Economy Minister blasting the switch to US sportswear giant Nike as a lack of "patriotism".

'Lack of patriotism': German football team to cut ties with Adidas after 70 years

“I can hardly imagine the Germany shirt without the three stripes,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement to AFP.

“For me, Adidas and black-red-gold always belonged together,” Habeck said, describing the pairing as a “piece of German identity”.

With the homegrown sportswear brand and the economy both experiencing tough times, Habeck said he “would have hoped for more patriotism” from the German Football Association (DFB).

The DFB on Thursday said it would end its decades-long partnership with Adidas, selecting Nike as its new supplier from 2027.

German national teams have worn Adidas gear since the 1950s, with the partnership becoming synonymous with the success on the pitch.

The deal with Nike was “by far the best financial offer” on the table, DFB CEO Holger Blask said in a statement.

The collaboration between Adidas and the German national football team goes all the way back to the 1950s and the team’s first World Cup success.

The switch from Adidas was the “wrong decision”, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said Thursday on X, formerly Twitter.

The move saw “commerce destroy a tradition and a piece of home”, Lauterbach said.

The Nike “swoosh” will replace the Adidas “three stripes” on the German shirt from 2027, under a deal with the DFB that will run through 2034.

Nike also made a “clear commitment to the promotion of amateur sport, as well as the sustainable development of women’s football in Germany”, DFP CEO Blask said.

The timing of the announcement, just months ahead of the start of the Euro 2024 championships in Germany, was wholly “usual”, Blask said.

The kit change will come as a bitter blow to Adidas, which has faced mounting difficulties of late.

“We were informed by the DFB today that the association will have a new supplier from 2027,” the German sportswear group said in a statement.

Fans and Adidas workers alike are expressing shock over the news on social media.

“Adidas” climbed to the top of trending topics on social media platform X shortly after the deal was announced, showing how shocking the news is for German football fans. At time of writing, both “Adidas” and then “Nike” are the 2nd and 3rd top trends respectively.

‘Joint success’ 

The DFB would “do everything for joint success” with its long-time partner Adidas before the end of the year, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf added in the statement.

The German men’s team under the guidance of coach Julian Nagelsmann will set up base for the tournament at the training complex next to Adidas’s home in Herzogenaurach, in Bavaria.

The men will wear Adidas gear again at the 2026 World Cup, being hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada, before switching to Nike.

Adidas football kits for 2024

The official German national soccer team jerseys for the upcoming European Football Championship 2024 and the official match ball can be seen at the headquarters of sporting goods manufacturer Adidas AG. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Karmann

Germany’s footballers have hoisted a number of trophies while dressed in gear bearing Adidas’s three stripes. The collaboration between team and kit-maker began in 1954, when West
Germany sensationally beat favourites Hungary to win the World Cup that year.

Since then, the German men’s team have lifted another three World Cups, while the women have two to their name.

The loss of the German kit contract comes after the German group reported its first loss in 30 years earlier this month.

A bitter break-up with artist Kanye West in 2022 and the loss of revenues from his popular Yeezy line have weighed on the brand.

For 2023, Adidas registered a loss of 75 million euros ($82 million), following a profit of 612 million euros the previous year.

Adidas had been paying approximately 50 million euros a year to kit out the German national football teams, according to daily Bild.

The popular tabloid described the switch as an “earthquake” after Adidas unveiled the German national team’s jerseys for this year’s Euros last week. The newly unveiled jersey design also caused some surprise in Germany. Adidas’ redesign for the men’s away shirt replaced the traditional black and red, or green colours with a kit that is bright pink and blue.

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