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Beyoncé sons Reebok, walks out of pitch meeting after lack of diversity

adidas April 5, 2019
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Everyone wants to be rich and famous.

They see the glitz, glam, and deals and think life is made once you enter a certain tax bracket. Little do people realize, however, the massive responsibility assumed once entering these positions.

Beyoncé is not one of those people.

Yesterday, CNBC’s Jess Golden announced that the Grammy-award winning artist signed a “multi-layered” deal with Adidas, making her creative partner for the brand which will include the launch of signature sneakers and apparel.

Beyoncé said in a statement:

“This is the partnership of a lifetime for me. Adidas has had tremendous success in pushing creative boundaries. We share a philosophy that puts creativity, growth and social responsibility at the forefront of business. I look forward to re-launching and expanding Ivy Park on a truly global scale with a proven, dynamic leader.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv1gYGmo03d/?utm_source=ig_embed

But today it was announced that the deal with Adidas came after walking away from several other big names in the shoe game.

One of which being Reebok who, according to ESPN Writer Nick Depaula, walked away due to the pitch team’s lack of diversity & non-existent representation of her background and skin color.

Throughout this process over the last year or two,” DePaula told the hosts of ESPN’s “The Jump,” “she had discussed with Under Armour, with Reebok as well, Jordan [at Nike] at one point was interested in maybe partnering with her.

She had a meeting at Reebok and they had a whole presentation of everything, potential products, how this could all look, and she kind of took a step back and said, ‘Is this the team that will be working on my product?’”

Continued DePaula:

“Somebody said, ‘Yes,’ and she said, ‘Nobody in this room reflects by background, my skin color and where I’m from and what I want to do.’ So she took a step back and left and then it did not come to terms.”

“For her, it really goes beyond that. It’s not just about putting her name on a shoe and here’s the new Adidas Beyoncé 1, or whatever they end up calling it. It’s about having an imprint on the company and an impact in terms of diversity,” he concluded.

Talk about shaking the infrastructure and challenging the system. Where many would artists would have gone to the biggest check, Beyoncé walked the walk and made an entire franchise rethink their life, just from saying no.

Although having launched her own activewear brand, Ivy Park, in 2016, the deal with Adidas makes it Beyoncé’s first step into the footwear market. The line is expected to be re-launched under the Adidas umbrella.

Beyoncé has 126 million followers on Instagram and is hailed as one of the, if not the biggest talent in the world. To say she’s rich and famous would be a gross understatement — she’s a living icon. Yet, that did not stop her from doing her due diligence with such a platform.

Beyoncé walking out of Reebok may not have done anything for her personally, being that she’s made for life, but the statement it sends will be what opens doors for the people she represents for years to come.

That’s why she’s Queen. That’s why she’s the GOAT.

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