Adidas to launch probe into claims about Kanye West taking part in pornography to employees

Adidas will launch an investigation into allegations of misconduct in opposition to Kanye West after the corporate was accused of turning a blind eye to the artist’s inappropriate behaviour throughout their Yeezy sneakers tie-up.

The choice to open an impartial probe got here as one in all Adidas’ largest shareholders demanded readability concerning the alleged incidents.

Rolling Stone journal reported this week that the US rapper and designer, often known as Ye, performed pornography to employees in conferences and confirmed an intimate image of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian in job interviews, citing former Adidas and Yeezy staff.

The sportswear model minimize its ties with West final month over his anti-Semitic remarks, ending their profitable partnership.

In keeping with Rolling Stone, the previous staff despatched a letter to Adidas claiming that senior managers have been conscious of West’s “problematic behaviour” however “turned their ethical compass off” and failed to guard its staff in opposition to “years of verbal abuse, vulgar tirades, and bullying assaults.”

“It’s at the moment not clear whether or not the accusations made in an nameless letter are true,” Adidas mentioned in an announcement on Thursday. “Nevertheless, we take these allegations very severely and have taken the choice to launch an impartial investigation of the matter instantly to deal with the allegations.”

Germany’s third largest asset supervisor, Union Funding, wrote to Adidas on Thursday asking for extra details about the claims. It has a 1 per cent stake within the group and is a top-20 shareholder, in keeping with S&P International Market Intelligence.

“Adidas must disclose when the administration and the supervisory board was first knowledgeable concerning the inner allegations,” Janne Werning, head of ESG Capital Markets & Stewardship at Union Funding, informed the Monetary Occasions.

Adidas developed and offered sneakers with West for years beneath the Yeezy model. Analysts have estimated it accounted for round 7 per cent of its total income. Adidas mentioned in October that culling Yeezy would halve its anticipated earnings this 12 months.

The German model initially refused to deal with the experiences on Wednesday. “We won’t focus on personal conversations, particulars or occasions that result in our choice to terminate the adidas Yeezy partnership and decline to touch upon any associated hypothesis,” the corporate mentioned, including that it has “been and proceed to be actively engaged in conversations with our staff concerning the occasions that result in our choice to finish the partnership.”

Belgium investor GBL, which is Adidas’s single largest shareholder, and German asset supervisor Deka, which holds a 0.8 per cent stake, declined to remark. Frankfurt-based asset supervisor DWS, which holds a 1.8 per cent stake, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.