Update, on July 30, 2024:
Bella Hadid issued a statement regarding her SL72 campaign with Adidas, which was removed from the sports giant's site amid controversy earlier this month.
On July 29, 2024, Bella Hadid took to Instagram to clear the air about her involvement in the campaign, stating that she was unaware of the connections made to the 1972 Summer Olympics, where Palestinian militant group Black September killed multiple Israeli athletes and coaches.
“I want to make sure you're hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with Adidas,” Hadid wrote in her statement. “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."
Hadid continued, writing: “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 added that “while everyone's intentions were to make something positive and bring people together through art," ultimately, “the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process.” She added that she does “not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism” and that “that will never waiver.”
Hadid went on to address those who conflated her involvement in the campaign with the glorification of the deadly event. “Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people to an attack so tragic is something that hurts my heart,” she wrote. “Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism, and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are. I am a proud Palestinian woman, and there is so much more to our culture than the things that have been equated over the past week. 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.”
You can read Bella Hadid's statement on the Adidas SL72 campaign in full below:
Previously, on July 22, 2024:
Earlier this month, Adidas announced Bella Hadid as one of the faces of the Adidas SL72 sneaker, complete with a full campaign and digital billboard in New York City. However, not long after the campaign was revealed, the brand removed it from social media. The reason? The sneakers' link to the 1972 Summer Olympics.
As noted on the Adidas site, the SL72 silhouette was first released for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were “taken hostage and murdered” by a Palestinian militant group called Black September during what's commonly referred to as the Munich massacre.
As noted by CNN, users online, including the state of Israel, were quick to point out the link between the new campaign and the deadly event during the 1972 Olympics, in turn condemning the brand's decision to feature Hadid as one of the faces of the campaign. (Hadid is of Palestinian heritage and has been an outspoken advocate for relief efforts and a ceasefire in Gaza.)
CNN notes that Adidas reportedly removed social media posts featuring Hadid; there are currently no photos of the model on their feed, nor are the campaign images present on Hadid's Instagram. As of Saturday, July 20, massive posters featuring Bella Hadid were still on the storefront of the Adidas shop in Soho, New York.
“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,” a spokesperson for Adidas said in a statement on Friday, July 19, adding that they would be “revising” the remainder of the campaign.
Though it was rumored the sportswear company had dropped Hadid, those rumors have yet to be confirmed or denied. TMZ reported that Hadid had hired a legal team to deal with the situation and Adidas's “lack of public accountability.” However, this is unconfirmed information from an unnamed source, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.
On Sunday, July 21, Adidas publicly apologized to Hadid and fellow spokesmodels A$AP Nast and athlete Jules Koundé “for any negative impact on them" and re-stated their intent to revise the SL72 campaign. You can see Adidas’s full public apology below:
Teen Vogue has contacted Adidas and Bella Hadid's representatives for further comments. This post will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
