2024-07-20 22:06:58
Equipment maker Adidas on Friday pulled model Bella Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, from a controversial re-issue of its iconic sneakers from the 1972 Munich Olympics that was bloodied by anti-Israel attacks.
The German gear maker, which taps into sneaker culture, this summer re-launched the retro shoe, called the SL72, a replica of the shoe worn by athletes, especially during the Munich Olympics.
The Games were marked by a Palestinian commando attack on the Israeli delegation and subsequent hostage-taking that left 11 Israeli athletes and a German policeman dead.
‘Tragic historical event’
Bella Hadid, the 27-year-old American model, is one of the faces chosen by Adidas to embody the promotional campaign launched in mid-July for the re-issued sneakers.
Bella Hadid, the Nazarene-born daughter of a former Palestinian refugee turned US real estate mogul and the daughter of a Dutch mother, has frequently voiced her support for the Palestinians since Israel bombed the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the deadly Oct. 7 attack by the Islamist movement Hamas.
Wave of criticism
The excitement among Israeli officials was particularly evident. “Guess who’s the face of the campaign? Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid, who has a habit of spreading anti-Semitism and calling for violence once morest Israelis and Jews, reacted strongly to the Israeli Embassy in Berlin on Thursday on the X-Net.
“How can Adidas now claim that the memory of this incident is Completely unintentional ?The 1972 attacks are etched in the shared memory of Germans and Israelis,” Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, told World TV on Friday following Adidas’ apology.
The campaign triggered a wave of criticism on social networks: “Adidas is dead to me… I won’t buy anything from a company that has anything in common with anti-Semites…” one user wrote on X.
Conversely, other internet users condemned Adidas’ decision to end its partnership with “them.” Another called for a “boycott” of Adidas.
The brand will continue to promote its vintage styles with other faces: French football player Jules Koundé, American rapper and songwriter A$AP Nast, Swiss-Ethiopian musician Melissa Bon and Berlin-based Chinese model and influencer Sabrina Lan.
The brand’s new disappointment
Adidas has been forced to abruptly end its lucrative collaboration with controversial American rapper Kanye West in October 2022, following he made anti-Semitic comments.
Divorce results in high income losses and might even result in a deficit in the 2023 accounts.
While Germany has improved significantly from last year’s slump, they must digest a new disappointment involving Bella Hadid.
The company issued a press release on Tuesday reporting better-than-expected second-quarter results, helped by sales of its colorful low-top sneaker line, particularly its Samba and Gazelle models, even as U.S. rival Nike struggled to grow.
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