Kanye West at an event announcing a partnership with Adidas on June 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California.
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Sneaker and apparel maker Adidas said Thursday it is reviewing its relationship with the outspoken Kanye West.
“After repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation, we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this period,” the company said in a statement.
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West partnered with Adidas in 2013 to manufacture and distribute items from his Yeezy clothing line. He’s recently been publicly critical of the company and its CEO, accusing the sportswear brand of not giving him enough control over the line and telling CNBC “they were copying my ideas.”
The company says the partnership with Yeezy is one of the most successful collaborations in the history of the industry.
“We also recognize that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values,” the company said.
On August 4, Adidas outgoing CEO Kasper Rorsted told CNBC, “Kanye is our most important partner worldwide. We have a very, very good relationship with him. We communicate with him on a very ongoing basis. And we’re very proud of that relationship.”
“We are proud of our team that has worked tirelessly throughout our collaboration with Ye and the iconic products that were born from it,” adidas said.
Last month, West terminated his partnership with retailer Gap.
West’s sneaker and apparel business with Adidas AG and Gap, was recently valued at between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion by UBS Group AG, according to a private document reviewed by Bloomberg.
