The popular apparel company Reebok is doing damage control following recent reports that Beyoncé walked out on a deal with the brand due to the creative team’s lack of diversity.
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ESPN writer Nick DePaula spilled the tea during a recent appearance on the sport network’s program “The Jump.
“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?’ ” DePaula quoted.
“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,” he continued.
”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,” the sports writer concluded.
Reebok, which is owned by Adidas, went on to deny DePaula’s claims.
‘The report that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to lack of diversity is categorically false,” Reebok said in a statement to AdAge. “Our discussions with Beyoncé and her team continued for several months after our initial meeting. We are disappointed that false information is being reported as fact.”
The report comes a few days after it was revealed that Queen Bey signed on to be Adidas new creative partner. The Grammy award- winner called the deal a “partnership of a lifetime.”
“Adidas has had tremendous success in pushing creative boundaries,” she said. “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.”
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