Bella Hadid and Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden Speak Out on Campaign Controversy
“We have not heard anything that she’s going to sue us. So I don’t know where that rumor started.”
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.
Hadid has since spoken out about her experience with the campaign, sharing a statement via Instagram stories. “For those of you that do not know my heart, I want to make sure you’re hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas,” the statement began.
She continued: “I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind. In advance of the campaign’s release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign. Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated. My team should have known, adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up. As I always have, and always will, speak up for what I believe to be wrong.”
Hadid ended her statement with “I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people. I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people but every person worldwide.
Since Hadid’s statement, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden has spoken out about the campaign controversy during an earnings call to stakeholders. “We [made] the mistake in the way that bits and pieces in this campaign were put together and when you [make] a mistake, you apologize and you move on — and that’s what we did,” Gulden began.
During the press conference, Gulden also confirmed that adidas still has a relationship with Hadid, stating “She’s still a friend of the brand and yes, we pay her according to her contract. We have not heard anything that she’s going to sue us. So I don’t know where that rumor started.”
