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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian (2020)
Photo: DANNY MOLOSHOK / REUTERS
Adidas and Kanye West are now going their separate ways – but in the course of the separation between the musician and the German sporting goods manufacturer, new details and allegations are constantly coming to light.
Adidas is now launching an internal investigation following allegations of misconduct by West.
The group announced on Thursday that this would happen “immediately”.
The background is allegations that the company ignored his inappropriate behavior towards Adidas employees while working with the US rapper.
According to a report by the US magazine Rolling Stone, Kanye West, who now goes by the stage name Ye, is said to have shown Adidas employees pornographic videos and photos, among other things.
Among them was an intimate photo of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
According to »Rolling Stone«, former high-ranking employees of the sporting goods manufacturer accused the executive floor in an anonymous letter of not having acted »responsibly« and not adequately protecting their employees from West's »perverse behavior«.
Women in particular have experienced “years of abuse, vulgar tirades and bullying attacks”.
According to the letter, the Adidas management turned off their "moral compass" and ignored both Kanye West's behavior and the complaints of the employees.
"It is currently not clear whether the allegations made in an anonymous letter are true," Adidas said on Thursday.
"However, we take these allegations very seriously and have decided to immediately launch an independent investigation into the matter to clarify the allegations."
Adidas further downgrades forecast
At the end of October, the group ended its collaboration with the rapper, who was criticized for anti-Semitic statements, with immediate effect.
As a result of this decision, Adidas stopped producing Yeezy-branded items and stopped all payments to West and his company.
Also because the partnership with West has since ended, Adidas recently lowered its forecast for the third time in a few months.
The company now only expects a profit from continuing operations of 250 million euros for the full year.
Currency-adjusted sales should only increase by a low single-digit percentage, Adidas announced in early November.
In October, Adidas had predicted a profit of 500 million euros and an increase in sales of five percent.
As business with West's products ceases in the fourth quarter and is traditionally particularly strong at the end of the year, expectations are now correspondingly lower.
Adidas had their own line of shoes and apparel launched by the musician, Yeezy.
jok/AFP