adidas on thursday said it has put under review its business partnership with rapper and fashion designer kanye west after repeated efforts to privately resolve the situation we have taken the decision to place the partnership under review we will continue to comanage the current product during this period the company said cnbc which first reported the news said west had been publicly critical of the brand and its ceo and told the broadcaster that the german group was copying his ideas the rapper has been partnering with the brand since 2013 adidas has always been about creativity innovation and supporting athletes and artists to achieve their vision the adidas yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industrys history read a statement said we also recognize that all successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values news about adidas putting the partnership under review comes less than a month after wests lawyers sent a letter to gap inc notifying the apparel chain he was terminating his partnership with the company