(Bloomberg) -- Adidas AG made a mistake in its advertising campaign for the SL 72 sneaker, featuring the Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid, and is reviewing its procedures to avoid such missteps, Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Gulden said.
“We did the mistake in the way that bits and pieces in this campaign were put together and when you do a mistake, you apologize and you move on — and that’s what we did,” Gulden told reporters on an earnings call.
Adidas faced criticism this month for featuring Hadid, who’s been critical of Israel, in ads for its retro SL 72 running sneaker. The German sportswear maker originally released the shoe for the 1972 Munich Olympics, the games during which 11 Israeli team members were killed in a Palestinian terrorist attack and botched rescue attempt.
The Israeli government criticized Adidas for the ads, posting a statement on X that accused Hadid of having a history of antisemitism. Adidas apologized for its “unintentional mistake,” saying it didn’t intend to make any connection between the tragedy and the ads.
Gulden said there’s no process, software or external adviser that can fully prevent people from making mistakes, especially in an industry as heavily scrutinized as sports and fashion.
Hadid released a statement in an Instagram story that has since expired apologizing for taking part in the campaign, saying she had no knowledge of the historical connection between the shoe and the “atrocious events” of 1972. She voiced support for Palestinians and said she will continue to advocate against antisemitism.
“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,” she wrote in the statement, which was reposted on X by outlets including Hypebeast.
During the press conference Wednesday, Gulden said that he hadn’t heard anything about Hadid potentially suing Adidas, as some media reports have claimed.
“She’s still a friend of the brand and yes, we pay her according to a contract,” Gulden said.
Argentine Video
Gulden declined to comment on another sensitive topic that recently arose, a video in which members of Argentina’s national football team — which wears Adidas uniforms — sang an offensive song about French footballers.
Argentine player Enzo Fernandez apologized on Instagram after the video went viral, saying “there is absolutely no excuse for these words.” His club team, Chelsea Football Club, released a statement noting it “finds all forms of discriminatory behavior completely unacceptable.”
FIFA is conducting an investigation into the matter following a complaint from the French Football Federation.
In the press conference Wednesday, Gulden noted that Adidas has recently extended its contract with Argentina’s football association through 2038.
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