Adidas Officially End Kanye West YEEZY Partnership

Following mounting pressure, Adidas has formally announced the end of their YEEZY partnership with Kanye West.

The decision comes in the wake of a series of contentious and discriminatory statements made by Ye, who recently proclaimed "I can say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can't drop me. Now what?" during a recent appearance on the Drink Champs podcast.

In an official statement from Adidas, the sportswear giants condemn the recent "antisemitism" and "hate speech" used by the musician and designer before going on to further detail how they will "immediately" end production of Yeezy branded products, at a significant financial cost to themselves of "up to €250 million".

The statement also expands on previous grievances aired by Ye surrounding ownership of existing YEEZY designs and products, stating that "Adidas is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products as well as previous and new colorways under the partnership".

Ye claimed earlier this year to have turned down a $1 billion buyout offer from the company, and that he was set to make $500 million from the partnership next year in "royalties" alone within the existing deal. Adidas' statement sheds light on the situation, explaining they will "stop all payments to Ye and his companies" upon terminating the once lucrative partnership.

The brand are the most recent to formally sever ties with Ye, following decisive action taken by previous collaborators Balenciaga and Gap earlier this month.