Adidas CEO Praises Kanye West’s Creativity, Believes He’s Not a ‘Bad Person’ Despite Contract Split
Kanye West has found an unexpected defender in Bjørn Gulden, the CEO of Adidas, despite the sportswear giant severing ties with the embattled rap mogul last year. In a recent interview, Gulden lauded West’s creativity and offered a more sympathetic perspective on the controversial artist.
Gulden acknowledged West’s exceptional creative talents in both music and what he referred to as “street culture.” He credited West with co-creating the successful Yeezy line alongside Adidas. While the partnership ultimately soured due to West’s controversial statements, Gulden expressed a belief that West is not inherently a “bad person” but rather made unfortunate remarks that were misconstrued.
The Adidas CEO lamented the termination of their business relationship, referring to it as “very sad” given the immense success of their collaboration, which he described as one of the most successful partnerships in history. He also noted that such challenges can arise when working with third-party individuals, whether they be athletes or entertainers, emphasizing that it is a common aspect of the business.
Gulden assumed his role as Adidas CEO in November 2022, following the company’s decision to part ways with Kanye West. Despite the split, he has maintained a level of support for West’s creative endeavours.
Although the Yeezy line has been discontinued, Adidas managed to boost its profits by selling off existing models of the Yeezy brand. This strategic move led to an 85 per cent increase in the brand’s performance, alleviating some of Adidas’ financial concerns. However, Adidas still reported a loss of over $491 million in the second quarter, with Yeezy sales helping to mitigate a larger initial loss of $764 million.
Bjørn Gulden expressed satisfaction with the second-quarter results, particularly highlighting the positive impact of Yeezy inventory sales on the company’s top and bottom lines. Despite Kanye West’s ongoing controversies, Yeezy products continue to generate substantial revenue for the artist, as demonstrated by his reported $25 million windfall from Adidas in royalties within just 24 hours after the remaining Yeezy stock from their partnership sold out.
