As Blackpink's Jennie unveiled her first design collection in partnership with sportswear brand Adidas, some fans launched a boycott and urged Jennie to distance herself from the brand.
The backlash from pro-Palestinian consumers after Adidas hired a former Israeli soldier who lost a leg as a local ad model has spilled over into its collaboration with Jennie.
On the 8th, Fashion Times in the United Kingdom reported, "Blackpink fans are not only urging Jennie to terminate her contract with Adidas, but are also staging a boycott."
Before unveiling the collaboration products with Jennie, Adidas rolled out a local promotion featuring former Israeli soldier Shalev Biton as an ad model, sparking controversy that led to boycott calls targeting Jennie's collection as well.
Earlier, on the 1st, Jennie stepped in as a co-designer through Adidas Originals by Jennie, which launched worldwide. In the so-called Jennie collection, Adidas said, "Jennie reinterpreted Adidas Originals shoes, apparel and accessories with her own creative sensibility." Jennie also called the partnership "a dream collaboration," expressing her excitement.
However, after Jennie's agency OA Entertainment released additional product images and pictorials from the collection on its official social media, some fans pushed back.
Online comments included, "Jennie, please leave this brand," "Please distance yourself from Adidas," and "Boycott Adidas." On social media, posts urging an Adidas boycott spread with hashtags such as #BoycottAdidas.
Comments on Jennie's posts also included "Free Palestine," along with calls to boycott Adidas products or to urge Jennie to distance herself from the brand.
The controversy stemmed from Adidas' local promotion for its Single Shoe Service. The Single Shoe Service allows customers with limb disabilities to buy just one shoe at 50% of the regular price, and Adidas introduced it in 23 European countries earlier this year.
The issue flared after Shalev Biton, a former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier and para-athlete, appeared as a model in the related promotion conducted in Israel.
Biton reportedly lost his left leg near the Gaza Strip in May 2021 while serving in the Israel Defense Forces' Nahal Infantry Brigade. He joined the Adidas promotion alongside 10 other para-athletes.
Some civic groups and consumers said it was inappropriate to feature a former Israeli soldier as a campaign model amid the ongoing conflict around the Gaza Strip and called for a boycott of Adidas.
However, the ad at the center of the controversy was a local promotion conducted only in Israel and was not a global campaign. It was also a separate project from the co-designed collection involving Jennie.
As the controversy grew, Adidas headquarters said in a statement, "We recognize that images used in a recent local promotion caused concern and strong backlash," adding, "There was no intent to offend anyone."