Rumors have been circulating suggesting Adidas will reinlist the services of Kanye West, and high praise from the company’s CEO will do little to squash them.
Bjørn Gulden said in an earnings call today, “In my opinion, [he] is maybe the most creative, I would say, a person that has ever been in our industry,” according to Footwear News reporter Shoshy Ciment.
Adidas’ financial struggles since terminating its contract with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, have been well documented. Today’s earning call, however, paints a particularly bleak picture. The company suffered a net loss of $540 million during the fourth quarter of last year. Should Adidas not repurpose the remaining Yeezy stock on-hand, the company forecasts an additional loss of more than $500 million.
Bringing Ye back into the Trefoil fold could help Adidas’ bottomline but would be sure to draw widespread critcism. Ye was dropped from the company after making numerous antisemitic statements for which he has yet to apologize. There are also myriad other reasons not to support Ye, from his repeated harassment of ex-wife Kim Kardashian and then-boyfriend Pete Davidson to his support of sexual predators including Marilyn Manson, Bill Cosby, and R. Kelly.
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