Adidas announced Friday it’ll begin selling some of its remaining Yeezy stock by the end of May. Select footwear will go on sale exclusively through the Yeezy landing page on adidas’ website and the Confirmed app.
Although a press release didn’t name any of the pairs that’ll go up for sale, official images from the announcement showed the following shoes: Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Onyx, Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Carbon Beluga, Yeezy Boost 350 V2 CMPCT Panda, Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Onyx, Yeezy 500 Utility Black, Yeezy Boost 380 Covellite, Yeezy Slide Azure, Yeezy 450 Stone Teal, Yeezy Boost 700 V2 Tephra, Yeezy Foam RNNR MX Azure, Yeezy Boost 700 Salt, Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Zebra, Yeezy Slide Onyx, Yeezy Foam RNNR Clay Taupe, Yeezy Boost 350 Pirate Black, and Yeezy Foam RNNR Stone Salt.
“A significant amount” of the proceeds will be donated to organizations including “but not limited to” the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, according to the release. The latter organization is run by the brother of George Floyd.
"Selling and donating was the preferred option among all organizations and stakeholders we spoke to," adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden said in the release. "We believe this is the best solution as it respects the created designs and produced shoes, it works for our people, resolves an inventory problem, and will have a positive impact in our communities. There is no place in sport or society for hate of any kind and we remain committed to fighting against it.”
Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, added: “At a time when antisemitism has reached historic levels in the U.S. and is rising globally, we appreciate how adidas turned a negative situation into a very positive outcome. They have shown real thoughtfulness in engaging with community organizations working to combat this pernicious and stubborn hatred. Their leadership, in not only condemning anti-Jewish hate but lending their support for education and other initiatives, is exemplary and a model for other public companies to emulate. We thank them for their ongoing dialogue around their remaining inventory and their vested interest in tackling issues of prejudice and hate.”
The rollout announcement comes just over a week after adidas made public its decision of what it would do with the Yeezy product it’s sitting on. According to the company, it’s been holding $1.3 billion worth of stock since cutting ties with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in October after repeated anti-semitic comments.
adidas had considered donating the stock to people in need or destroying it. Fearing that pairs would eventually end up in the wrong hands or creating a terrific amount of waste, adidas instead decided to sell at least some of the product while donating a portion of the proceeds to charity. Ye will still be due his 15 percent royalties for all product sold, which is just one of the ethical concerns that remains with adidas’ new path forward.
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