Kanye West is not happy with Adidas.
The rapper took to Instagram to express his apparent frustration with the retailer — which handles manufacturing and distribution for his billion-dollar Yeezy brand — in a lengthy, strongly worded direct message shared with Complex Tuesday.
July 2 happens to be Yeezy Day, when Adidas drops new and restocked styles from the label at retail prices, but West claimed the athletic giant didn’t ask for his input before creating the annual shopping event.
“Adidas made up the Yeezy Day idea without my approval,” West began, before alleging that the brand also “brought back older styles,” “picked colors and named them,” “hired people that worked for [him],” “stole [his] colorways [and] styles” and hired a general manager — all without the rapper’s knowledge or consent.
The designer also claimed that Adidas “slowed down production” on his Yeezy Gap partnership with Balenciaga, preventing West from releasing footwear as part of the collaboration despite his contract allegedly allowing him to design “casual shoes” outside the Adidas umbrella.
West also repeated his earlier complaint that the sporty retailer has been “copying” his Yeezy slides with its Adilette 22 style ($55), released as part of the Adidas Originals collection.
The “Yeezus” hitmaker finished his missive by claiming that Yeezy makes up 68% of Adidas’ online sales, writing, “God step in.”
Representatives for Yeezy did not immediately return Page Six Style’s request for comment.
While Ye is locked into his Adidas deal until it expires in 2026, the immediate future of his partnership with the brand is unclear. Still, the star is going full steam ahead with his Gap team-up, having launched his Balenciaga designs in retail stores in late July.
