Kanye West took to Instagram to accuse Adidas of selling unauthorized Yeezy 350 colorways and suing him for $250 million. In a video, Kanye claimed that Adidas was not only releasing non-approved colorways but also withholding payment for shoes bearing his name, using contract clauses and their business experience to exploit him.
He urged his fans not to buy these "fake Yeezys" and called out Adidas for their actions, stating that they were "raping an artist" by taking advantage of their business relationship.
This is not the first time Kanye has accused Adidas of such actions. In 2022, after Adidas announced a review of their partnership with him, Kanye posted angrily, accusing Adidas of stealing his designs and declaring, "FUUUUUUCK ADIDAS I AM ADIDAS ADIDAS RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS."
Adidas responded to these claims by asserting their ownership of all design rights to existing products, including Yeezy designs, under their partnership. They stated that they retained the right to sell existing Yeezy product designs under the Adidas brand.
Adidas reportedly made $813 million from two Yeezy inventory releases following their split with Kanye last year. They recently announced a third sale of leftover Yeezy sneakers. While there is no evidence of a new lawsuit against Kanye, Adidas previously filed a private arbitration lawsuit against him for allegedly mishandling $75 million in marketing funds.
Adidas terminated their partnership with Kanye in 2022 after a series of antisemitic outbursts from the rapper.
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