Stanisland Magazine

The company was born from a fascist party supporter, and its production practices and recent antics bind it to its roots.

Adidas has a history of using celebrities to launch its products, and more recently attempted to platform diversity to sell their catalogue. However, in the past week, the company decided to drop model Bella Hadid for their ‘SL72‘ sneaker campaign, claiming they are “revising” content for the shoe’s launch.

The move comes following criticism from Israel about the model’s inclusion, citing antisemitism as the reason in the context of the 1972 attack that killed 11 Israelis. However, the shoe was not an exclusive design tied to one team.

Hadid has previously chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a decades old slogan symbolising the plight of its people. However, the phrase is not antisemitic at all; it calls for a free Palestinians who have been subjugated as second class citizens. In parts of Palestine and Israel, Arab people are frequently and forcibly removed from their homes to make way for foreigners who subscribe to the zionist ideology. Dropping Hadid is prejudice and racist in itself, and fails the sports brand’s so-called diversity code of conduct.

Adida’s decision to drop Hadid only highlights their blatant racism and underscores the superficial nature of its campaigns. The company said their latest promotion “unites a broad range of partners,” but this is simply not the case given their obedience to a nation founded upon death.

As a person of colour, I have to ask: are Adidas platforming diversity for the benefit of our communities? Or are they using us to further product sales? Go figure.