German-based sportswear manufacturer Adidas is finding itself in hot water again after recently unveiling a new campaign starring supermodel Bella Hadid to promote the revival of its SL72 shoe.
The Adidas SL72 shoe was first launched at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Unfortunately, the debut was overshadowed by a tragic incident when a Palestinian group known as Black September invaded the Olympic Village at the time, demanding the release of Palestinians held in Israeli and German prisons. 11 Israeli athletes were killed in the shootout. The shoe’s history led the Israeli government to use the X to criticize the brand for featuring Hadid in the campaign. Hadid is a proud Palestinian and has been vocal in her support for Palestinians throughout the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Earlier this week, Adidas pulled the ad, telling NBC News that it is currently “revising the remainder of the campaign.” Adidas said, “We are aware that a connection to a tragic historical event has been made, but this was entirely unintentional. We apologize for any inconvenience or concern caused.” The sportswear brand’s reaction has been met with mixed reactions online, with many coming to the supermodel’s defence and calling for a boycott of Adidas after the campaign was cancelled.
According to TMZ, Bella Hadid isn’t going down without a fight. The supermodel is said to be taking legal action against Adidas, and sources say she has already hired a lawyer. She is expected to sue the sportswear giant for a lack of public accountability. Other rumors speculate that Adidas has fired the supermodel, but TMZ claims that she is still under contract with Adidas despite the situation. Adidas has apologized to the public for the campaign, but it is unclear what happened with the conversation with Bella Hadid. Both Adidas and Hadid have removed the campaign from their social media accounts.
Stay tuned for more information.
