Adidas and Balenciaga are moving on without Kanye West.
The sportswear company and the high-fashion brand have teamed up for a second collaboration, available to shop now, after both parting ways with the controversial rapper.
The collection, which is modeled by Bella Hadid and Isabelle Huppert in the campaign, features oversized soccer jerseys ($995), zip-up hoodies ($1,150) and matching tracksuit pants ($1,550), a sporty spin on Balenciaga’s hit Hourglass bag ($3,150) and more — all with Adidas’ signature three-stripe logo.
The two brands first joined forces in May, staging a fashion show at the New York Stock Exchange.
Celebrities including Offset, Candice Swanepoel, Christine Quinn, Pusha T, Megan Thee Stallion, Pharrell and Chloë Sevigny were in front row — as was West, then a friend and collaborator to both Balenciaga and Adidas.
However, in October — just one day after making his runway debut at Balenciaga’s mud-covered fashion show in Paris — the rapper debuted his own Yeezy Season 9 collection, which included “White Lives Matter” T-shirts. In the subsequent days and weeks, West, 45, has continued to push the white supremacist phrase in addition to spewing anti-Semitic remarks, none of which he’s apologized for.
On Oct. 21, Balenciaga announced it was cutting ties with West, ending the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga partnership helmed by the fashion house’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia.
“Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist,” parent company Kering told WWD at the time. West’s photo was scrubbed from Balenciaga’s Instagram and website as well.
While West’s 10-year contract with Adidas seemed tenuous in recent months for a number of reasons, tons of celebrities called on the brand to terminate its deal amid the rapper’s anti-Semitic rants. After placing the partnership “under review,” Adidas — which had served as the manufacturer and distributor of the Yeezy brand since 2016 — finally terminated the collaboration.
It appears both brands are continuing to work together, however — and even have the support of West’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, who has been spotted wearing designs from the collaboration.
