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    Yeezy shoes are back on sale months after Adidas cut ties with Kanye West

    WASHINGTON (AP) – Some of Adidas’ remaining Yeezy shoes are back on sale – months after the German sportswear company cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.

    Adidas ended its yearslong partnership with Ye in late October, in light of his controversial remarks and other harmful behaviour. In the months that followed, the fate of EUR1.2 billion (USD1.3 billion) worth of unsold Yeezys remained unknown – until earlier last month, when Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden announced the company would be selling a portion of the remaining inventory and donating some of the proceeds to social justice organisations.

    The first batch of Adidas’ remaining Yeezys went on sale on Wednesday. At this time, the sneakers appear to be available through Adidas’ app “Confirmed”, according to the retailer’s website. Part of the profits will be donated to organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, Adidas said.

    Wednesday’s release marks the first time that Adidas has sold Yeezys since the partnership termination in October. The Yeezy products up for sale will include already-existing designs as well as those that were initiated in 2022 and set to be released in 2023, Adidas previously noted.

    “We believe (selling and donating these Yeezys) 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,” Gulden said in an May 19 statement.

    A sign advertises Yeezy shoes made by Adidas at Kickclusive in New Jersey, United States. PHOTO: AP

    At a May 11 annual shareholder meeting, Gulden explained the company made the decision to sell and donate Yeezys after speaking with non-governmental organizations and groups that were harmed by Ye’s comments and actions.

    Some details of Adidas’ plans are still unclear – including how many Yeezys will eventually go on sale and what portion of sales will be donated. The Associated Press reached out to Adidas for further information on Wednesday.

    Cutting ties with Ye cost Adidas hundreds of millions of dollars – contributing to a loss of EUR600 million (USD655 million) in sales for the last three months of 2022, which helped drive the company to a quarterly net loss of EUR513 million.

    Adidas reported EUR400 million (USD441 million) in lost sales at the start of 2023, the company announced earlier this month.

    Net sales declined one per cent in the first quarter, to EUR5.27 billion, the company said. It reported a net loss of EUR24 million, a plunge from a profit of EUR310 million in the same period a year ago.

    Operating profit, which excludes some items like taxes, was down to EUR60 million from EUR437 million a year earlier.

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