Adidas ended its partnership with Kanye West last month.
Adidas is launching an investigation into allegations that American rapper Kanye West showed pornographic material to staffers who were working on his Yeezy apparel line.
Around two dozen former Adidas and Yeezy employees have claimed that Mr West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, showed them porn and explicit images of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian during work meetings. As per Rolling Stone, the former employees also stated that the rapper used intimidation tactics with the staff of his fashion empire that was provocative, frequently sexualised, and often directed toward women.
They claimed that Mr West played pornography to the staff in the meeting, discussed porn and showed an intimate photograph of Kim Kardashian in job interviews, and showed his own sex tapes to Yeezy team members.
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As per the magazine, an open letter by prominent former members of the Yeezy team said that the leaders from Adidas were aware of Mr West's "problematic behaviour" but "turned their moral compass off". The letter is also understood to draw attention to the "toxic and chaotic environment" they say was created by Kanye West, as well as a "very sick pattern of predacious behaviour toward women".
Now, Adidas, which ended its partnership with Mr West last month, released a statement late on Thursday saying that it would investigate the allegations.
As per the New York Post, the German sportswear giant said, "It is currently not clear whether the accusations made in an anonymous letter are true," the company said. "However, we take these allegations very seriously and have taken the decision to launch an independent investigation of the matter immediately to address the allegations."
Adidas also told Rolling Stone that it would not address specific allegations made against Mr West.
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Meanwhile, Adidas cut ties with Mr West after the rapper unleashed an anti-semitic tirade on social media. Other brands including Balenciaga, Foot Locker and Gap have also ended partnerships with the musician.
Kanye West, on the other hand, has announced he will be running for the 2024 US presidential elections and has asked Donald Trump to be his running mate.