German athletic shoe and apparel maker Adidas AG is reviewing its relationship with business partner and rapper Kanye West.
“Following repeated efforts to resolve the situation privately, we have made the decision to review the partnership. We will continue to co-manage the current product during this time,” the company said in a statement, per CNBC reported.
According to the report, Adidas made the decision to review its relationship with West after the rapper publicly criticized Adidas and its CEO. He even claimed that the German company would copy his ideas.
Adidas announced the partnership with West in 2013. The rapper and the German company took their relationship to the next level in 2016 after announcing an extension of the agreement and the launch of a new Yeezy category.
He has recently been publicly critical of the company and its CEO, accusing the sportswear brand of not giving him enough control over the line. In June, West took to Instagram to accuse Adidas of copying its Yeezy designs.
The hip-hop superstar shared a picture of Adidas’ recently released Adilette 22 slide sandals, claiming they are “a fake Yeezy, the one made by Adidas itself”. He then deleted the post, which contained a message to Adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted.
“I no longer stand for this blatant copying,” West wrote. “This is for anyone who wants to express themselves but feels like they can’t because they’re voiding their contract [verlieren] or be called crazy.” (dpa)
This post has been translated from English.