Kanye West Slams Adidas, Claims He Didn't Approve of Yeezy Day Among Other Changes: 'Lied to My Face'
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images; Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Kanye West is not happy with his partnership with Adidas.
In a direct-message exchange on Instagram with Complex, published by the outlet on Tuesday, the "Bound 2" rapper, 45, listed a number of actions the company has allegedly taken without his consent.
"Adidas made up the Yeezy day idea without my approval," the rapper told the outlet.
Yeezy Day has been a holiday in the brand every Aug. 2 since 2019, with a primary goal of spotlighting the Adidas Yeezy line.
Also in the message, West claimed Adidas brought back older styles, picked and named new colors and hired people — including a general manager for the brand — all without his approval. Additionally, he accused the company of stealing his colorways, styles and material approaches without saying a word to the rapper.
Adidas did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Adidas Yeezy shoe
West then went on to talk about the partnership with Balenciaga and Gap, saying that Adidas slowed down the production of the casual sneakers he and Balenciaga's creative director Demna Gvasalia created despite the footwear not breaching his contract with the company. "My contract states I can do casual shoes," the artist wrote.
In addition, West also criticized the sports brand in regards to his Yeezy slides.
"When I originally ordered adidas to make more Yeezy slides the GM lied to my face and said they didn't have the capacity," he wrote. "Meanwhile adidas was copying my slides and making their own version."
According to Complex, West is referring to the Adilette 22 Slides, a shoe he already condemned earlier this year.
At the end of the message, West stated that "Yeezy is 68% of adidas online sales." He concluded, "God step in."
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RELATED: Kanye West Teams with Balenciaga for "First of Its Kind" Yeezy Gap Collection
Though West is unsatisfied with his Adidas collaboration, he did touch on his recent collaboration with Gap last month in a positive light.
"Bob Martin was one of the most inspiring people I've heard speak in business," he wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, which featured a photo of Gap Executive Chairman Martin. "He kept saying go to the stores on the call."
"I came to Gap to put good product directly in stores. We've had 2 of the biggest sales day in Gap history since I've been there," the mogul continued. "We sold 14 million dollars worth of the perfect black hoodie at 80 dollars a hoodie off of a television commercial that was ran one time."
West went on to share that he was moved to collaborate with Gap "to bring good quality products to the people at all times," concluding, "Bob I need to meet with you as soon as possible."
The rapper announced his partnership with Gap in 2020. It marked a full-circle moment for West, who actually worked in a Gap store as a teen as he was growing up in Chicago.
The highly anticipated collab dropped in June 2021, unveiling with a blue collared puffer made from recycled nylon.
GAP; GETTY
Since then, West has gone on to launch a Yeezy Gap x Balenciaga collection, which included a $240 black hoodie that sold out shortly after launching earlier this year.
The item features the classic Gap logo on the front and an illustration of a white dove in flight on the back.
The "Praise God" rapper teamed up with Balenciaga's Gvasalia to design multiple products for Gap, which also includes a denim jacket and pair of jeans, multiple logo tees and a pair of black pants.
In a January interview with Vogue, Gvasalia said of his collaboration with West, "There's a certain urban minimalism and poetry in our aesthetics, [and] also a desire to push boundaries."
He added, "There are very few people that I know, especially of Ye's caliber, who really understand my work so well. He makes me come out of my comfort zone and be a better designer. There's no ego when we collaborate, just a mutual drive to evolve and do something great and new."
