Adidas has announced plans for a second release of its remaining Yeezy inventory following the initial May 2023 release.
The sports brand has been in a bind since ending its relationship with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) following a series of antisemitic remarks made by the rapper. Until the rupture, the Yeezy brand collaboration was a massive hit for Adidas, and the end of the relationship left Adidas with millions of shoes in storage, weighing down its bottom line.
After much deliberation, the company decided to sell off the remaining stock and donate “a significant amount” of the profits to organizations working to combat discrimination and hate. “Since terminating the Yeezy partnership in October, Adidas has been exploring multiple scenarios for the potential use of the existing Yeezy inventory,” said the company in a statement. “The process involved seeking feedback and listening to a diverse group of employees, organizations, communities and consumers for how to responsibly manage the existing product.”
The second drop of Yeezy stock will see a range of existing products — including some of the most popular designs in the collection, like the Yeezy Slide, Foam RNR and Yeezy Boost — made available in phases throughout the month of August, beginning Aug. 2. The items will be sold through Adidas’ digital platforms, including its CONFIRMED app, as well as with select wholesale partners. These partners will be limited to selling Yeezy products through their digital platforms only.
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Among the organizations that will receive proceeds from the sale are the Anti-Defamation League, the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change and a new partner for this drop, Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS). To further support the efforts of the FCAS, Adidas said it also will include blue square pins with select products sold directly by Adidas in North America, as part of the FCAS #StandUpToJewishHate campaign launched earlier this year. The pins are meant to be a symbol of “solidarity and unity in the fight against antisemitism and all hate.”
