After reports that model Bella Hadid hired attorneys to take legal action against German sports company Adidas for removing her image from the SL72 sneaker campaign, after criticism from Israeli and Jewish sources around the world, Adidas has apologized again - this time also to the model.
The apology comes in response to statements made by associates of Hadid to the TMZ website, in which it is claimed that Adidas did not publicly address its responsibility as a brand, in what the model sees as a cruel and damaging campaign. They added that Hadid is upset that the company launched a campaign that links anyone with the Munich massacre at the 1972 Olympics, since this is "contrary to her values and opinions regarding violence."
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Bella Hadid has received an apology from Adidas for removing her from its ad campaign
(Photo: Victor Boyko/Getty Images)
Following Hadid's claims, Adidas representatives issued an apology - after an earlier apology that did not include reference to her. “Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign. These connections are not meant and we apologize for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake. We also apologize to our partners, Bella Hadid, ASAP Nast, Jules Koundé, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign,” read the apology published in the Adidas Originals story and saved as a "highlight."
The uproar surrounding Adidas' campaign began on Thursday morning, following the choice to cast pro-Palestinian model Bella Hadid in the launch campaign for the SL72 shoe model. The shoes were first launched for the Munich Olympics in 1972, where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered in a massacre held in September of that year by the "Black September" Palestinian organization.
Within a few hours, the German sports brand faced criticism from Israeli and Jewish sources around the world who pointed to the opaqueness of the campaign and the choice of Hadid - among them the organization Stop Antisemitism, which also mentioned "Adidas' support of Kanye West despite his antisemitism." On social media, they called for Adidas to be boycotted following the campaign starring Hadid, while mentioning the company's Nazi past. The founders of Adidas, brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, were members of the Nazi Party and produced munitions for the Nazis in their shoe factory during World War II.
The first apology came that evening . “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. 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,” an Adidas spokesperson told the British Jewish News website.
Over the weekend, Adidas removed Hadid's image from the campaign featuring other celebrities, but it was too late. Although Hadid did not respond publicly, the publications of the words of her associates inevitably influenced Adidas' further response. Currently, her campaign photos and those of the other people photographed no longer appear on the brand's website or on its Instagram account.