Adidas to sell Yeezy shoes and donate proceeds months after Kanye West split

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Adidas says it will try to sell a portion of its remaining Yeezy shoe inventory and donate the proceeds to charitable organizations. The German sportwear brand cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, in October following his antisemitic comments on social media and in interviews. Since then, the fate of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold Yeezys was uncertain. Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden said Thursday that the company spent months trying to find solutions — and has now decided to sell a portion of the inventory and donate the proceeds to organizations that were harmed by Ye’s comments and actions.