Adidas has come out to apologize to Bella Hadid and other models after being forced to pull the Munich Olympics ad campaign.
After receiving a backlash, Adidas has since apologized to Bella Hadid and other models that were involved in the advertisement. The campaign which was done with Hadid, A$AP Nast, and footballer Jules Koundé was meant to commemorate the Munich Olympics but many of them associated it with the 1972 Munich Olympics where 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer were killed by members of the Palestinian militant group.
In a statement released on Sunday, Adidas acknowledged the issue: “In recent SL72 campaign being floated in public, people have in one way or the other been reminded of that heinous act in Munich Olympics and to the communities that may have been affected, I on behalf of the models involved do apologize for the distress caused. ”
Adidas for the first time issued an apology to the public last Thursday and also declared to recast the commercial. The brand said, “We have been informed that some associations have been made to tragic historical events but this was done accidentally. We did not intend to cause any discomfort or offense to anybody. Here at [the brand], we support sport as a means of bringing the world together and equality for all.
The professional model Bella Hadid who is openly supporting Palestine has also been invoiced and she too is said to have hired lawyers to deal with it. A source talking to Us Weekly said that before seeking legal advice from a lawyer, she complained to the company about it, as Adidas failed to give any public explanation; the insider quoted her words, ‘Violence is not part of Bella’s world. ’
During the campaign, Hadid used vintage sports clothing and SL 72 shoes. Till this date she has not come out any to express her opinion on the issue or her endorsement deal with Adidas.