Foot Locker is staying out of this particular shoe game with Adidas and the now-infamous Yeezy brand. As Adidas attempts to sell the rest of its Yeezy inventory after Kanye West’s anti-semitic rants resulted in a terminated partnership, Foot Locker has quietly refused to take in any more of the high-profile sneakers and slides.
The decision is a change of heart from the company, as a source shared with Complex that Foot Locker was originally going to rejoin as a retailer for Yeezy in the wake of Adidas’ post-Kanye plan for the shoes. However, the potential controversy of selling the brand seemed too big of a risk to take. Even though Adidas had a Rabbi-approved course of action to donate a portion of profits to anti-hate organizations, Foot Locker could not streamline a charitable process that fit its business model in a suitable timeframe.
When Ye’s insensitive remarks first made waves, Foot Locker was swift in its response condemning the hate speech:
“Foot Locker, Inc. does not tolerate any form of antisemitism, or hateful and discriminatory behavior,” shared a spokesperson for the brand in a past statement. “While we remain a partner with Adidas and carry a wide assortment of their collections, we will not be supporting any future Yeezy product drops, and we have instructed our retail operators to pull any existing product from our shelves and digital sites.”
The news of Yeezy’s return to the popular shoe store was kept relatively under wraps. Yet, rumors began to swirl that the shoes, under Adidas’s careful planning to detract from the anti-semitism associated with the items, would soon again be available for purchase across Foot Lockers nationwide.
However, Foot Locker apparently decided to stay committed to its previous sentiments. Neither company is commenting on the matter, but Foot Locker’s silence by releasing no information about the widely known restock is loud and clear.
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Source: Black Enterprise
