XDY Exchange:Adidas begins selling off Yeezy brand sneakers, 7 months after cutting ties with Ye

2025-04-30 11:27:23source:HAI Communitycategory:News

Adidas has begun selling off sneakers that were created in partnership with the artist Ye (formerly Kanye West) before the German sportswear company cut ties with the celebrity.

Adidas says a "significant amount" of money made from its remaining inventory of the "Yeezy" brand sneakers will be XDY Exchangedonated to organizations that are fighting antisemitism, racism and hate, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, founded by George Floyd's brother.

Adidas ended its partnership with Ye in October, after he made a string of antisemitic remarks.

It's still unclear whether Ye will receive any profits from the shoes, which currently range in price from $70 to $260 a pair and went on sale in the U.S. on Wednesday.

The company says it consulted with "a diverse group" of employees, organizations and consumers before deciding what to do with the leftover product. Adidas said it followed through on committed production orders even after the partnership was terminated in order to protect supply chain partners.

In February, Adidas estimated that the decision to not sell the existing Yeezy merchandise would cut the company's full-year revenue by about $1.28 billion and its operating profit by $533 million. In the first quarter alone, the discontinuation of the Yeezy business cost Adidas nearly $440 million in sales.

In April, investors announced they would sue Adidas over Ye's remarks, blaming the company for knowing about Ye's problematic behavior years before cutting ties with him and ending the collaboration. Adidas denied the allegations.

NPR's Emily Olson contributed reporting.

More:News

Recommend

Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Jamie Foxx required stitches after getting hit in the face with a glass

Distributor, newspapers drop 'Dilbert' comic strip after creator's racist rant

The distributor of Scott Adams' Dilbert comic strip, Andrews McMeel Universal, announced Sunday it w

Pollinator-Friendly Solar Could be a Win-Win for Climate and Landowners, but Greenwashing is a Worry

Between a colorful array of wildflowers and the harmonious buzz of bees and butterflies circling ove