Adidas is continuing to profit from selling its unreleased stock of Yeezy shoes following its divorce from the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. As The Guardian reports, the shoe giant was stuck with millions of shoes in October of 2022 after his anti-Semitic rant that called for “Death Con 3”. Adidas was expected to have its first annual loss in 2023 as a result of dissolving the relationship with West.
Their first reduction of leftover Yeezy stock resulted in dropping 100 million off its expected loss of 400 million dollars in a period between late May and early June of 2023 and now they are gearing up to release more shoes from their vault. Some speculate the resell value of vintage pairs of the shoes approaches a few thousand dollars on the popular reseller site Stock X. Speculation also abounds that Adidas had received orders in the neighborhood of 583 million dollars for 4 million pairs, but was unable to meet that level of demand.
Adidas has partnered with the Anti-Defamation League, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, and the Philonese and Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change among other organizations dedicated to fighting the spread of racism and antisemitism. Although the company pledged to give a significant amount of its proceeds, it has not detailed an exact percentage as of yet. According to their press release, “The products will be available from August 2nd with a phased release to help manage demand whilst ensuring a fair and premium experience for consumers. Availability and timing of release will also vary depending on location.” Models to be released include the Yeezy Boost 350 V2, 500, and 700 as well as the Yeezy Slide and Foam RNR.