Fashion

Beyoncé Signed Partnership with adidas; Of Course Reebok Denied That She Allegedly Walked Out Of A Meeting Due To The Lack Of Diversity

By Donovan | April 19, 2019 0 Comments

GERMANY — International R&B superstar Beyoncé just signed a partnership with German sportswear, sneaker and apparel giant adidas for footwear, clothing and an Ivy Park relaunch.

“Neither ascribes to the typical stereotypes of athletes and what athleisure clothing and footwear should be, and instead, will bring to life a shared vision of inclusion that will forever alter the opportunities and landscape for all,” adidas said in a statement.

“adidas has had tremendous success in pushing creative boundaries,” noted Beyoncé.

The powerhouse talent will retain ownership of her company, said adidas, noting she would continue “her journey as one of the first black women to be the sole owner of an athleisure brand.”

“Beyoncé is an iconic creator but also a proven business leader, and together, we have the ability to inspire change and empower the next generation of creators,” said Eric Liedtke, an executive board member who is in charge of the company’s global brands.

In 2014, DM Fashion Book reported that Beyoncé teamed up with Topshop for a clothing line (see it here). The BET and Grammy Awards winning singer formed a partnership with the London brand on a 50-50 joint venture company called Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd. The official collection debuted in Spring 2016 (see it here).

In November 2018, we reported after a series of sexual harassment and bullying allegations made against Topshop tycoon Philip Green, Beyoncé’s Parkwood company has taken full ownership of Ivy Park, buying back Green’s shares in the brand that started life as a joint venture (see it here).

It was rumored that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to a lack of diversity at the company, the brand has denied the claims.

A spokesperson for Reebok told HuffPost: “The report that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to lack of diversity is categorically false. Our discussions with Beyoncé and her team continued for several months after our initial meeting. We are disappointed that false information is being reported as fact.”

On Friday, a clip of an episode of ESPN’s “The Jump” went viral because it featured writer Nick DePaula sharing a rather intriguing story about the multi-platinum selling singer. DePaula claimed that Beyoncé was in talks to work with Reebok on a partnership, but backed out after noticing the lack of diversity and representation among the team she’d potentially work with.

“She had a meeting at Reebok, and they had a whole presentation of everything, potential products, how this could all look,” says DePaula in the clip.

“She kinda took a step back and said ‘Is this the team that would be working on my product?’ And somebody said ‘yes’ and she said ‘nobody in this room reflects my background, my skin color, and where I’m from and what I want to do.’ And so she kinda took a step back and left and then, it did not come to terms.”

Photos Credit: Zoe Ghertner