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A retailer speculates that the decision was influenced by the Israel-Hamas war.
The Adidas Board has decided that it will halt the remaining Adidas Yeezy releases that were set to take place in November, according to Complex.
“As a brand we will not do a new drop for the remainder of the year both for our internal e-com and retail as well as wholesale,” stated an internal memo obtained by Complex. “We will not be shipping out any new stock, this direction was given at the board level.”
The Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Zebra,” “Bone” and “Onyx” were rumored to be part of the latest release dump.
In October 2022, the German footwear brand announced an end to the Adidas Yeezy line following anti-semitic remarks and other problematic antics from the designer/artist.
The decision of the paused upcoming releases from the Three Stripes is unknown, but a storeowner who spoke with Complex speculates that the decision is likely due to the Israel-Hamas war. Although the motive remains unclear at the moment, it is possible that Adidas does not want to release any product given Ye’s anti-semitic incidents in the past.
Ye’s remarks not only led to the end of the Adidas Yeezy partnership but also ushered in a new leadership change within the brand as former Puma CEO Bjørn Gulden was appointed as the new CEO for the Three Stripes. In May, Bjørn Gulden announced that Adidas would sell its remaining Yeezy inventory with proceeds going towards organizations that combat hate and anti-semitism.
In September, Bjørn Gulden spoke with Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management on the “In Good Company” podcast where he commented on Adidas’ previous relationship with Ye while praising the collaborative partnership.
“I don’t think he meant what he said, and I don’t think he’s a bad person,” Gulden said. “It just came across that way.”
Gulden would later apologize for the “misstatement.”
Shortly after, Adidas reaffirmed its decision on terminating the Adidas Yeezy partnership and their stance against anti-semitism.
“Our decision to end our partnership with Ye because of his unacceptable comments and behavior was absolutely the right one,” Adidas stated. “Our stance has not changed: Hate of any kind has no place in sports or society, and we remain committed to fighting it.”
Nice Kicks has reached out to Adidas for a comment regarding the paused releases.
Keep it locked on Nice Kicks on Instagram and the Adidas Yeezy release dates page as the story develops.
