What's Happening With Bella Hadid And Adidas? Here's What We Know So Far
info@hypebae.com (Hypebae) Mon, 22 Jul 2024 Hypebae
On July 18, Adidas received backlash from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) regarding its recent SL72 campaign, which stars Palestinian model Bella Hadid. The new campaign focuses on the SL72 sneaker, which debuted during the summer of 1972. It was the same year as the 1972 Summer Olympics, also referred to as Munich 1972, an event that saw several Israeli athletes killed in an attack by the Palestinian terrorist group, Black September.
On the day of the campaign's launch, Adidas came under fire for choosing Hadid as one of the faces, with the AJC posting the following on X: "At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 12 Israelis were murdered and taken hostage by Palestinian terrorist group Black September. For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable. We call on Adidas to address this egregious error."
In response to the backlash, Adidas issued a statement that confirmed that it would be "revising" its campaign with Hadid, who has been vocal about her support for Palestine. "We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events – though these are completely unintentional – and we apologize for any upset or distress caused," Adidas said in a statement to USA Today. "As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do," the company added. Hypebae has reached out to Adidas for comment.
Since then, reports have stated that Hadid may be taking legal action against Adidas for its lack of accountability. It's also thought that Hadid is still currently under contract with the sportswear brand, though both parties have since removed the campaign from their social media accounts.
Stay tuned for more information as the story develops.
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