Bella Hadid has embarked on her legal battle against Adidas, with insiders now claiming she hired a legal team to sue the athletic apparel company.

The fashion model has sought legal help on her way to taking action against the athleticwear giant for its lack of public accountability after being associated with the recent upsetting SL72 campaign. The ad celebrates the 52nd anniversary of the 1972 Olympics in Munich, focussing on the revival of the brand’s “coveted classic” sneaker line from the 1970s.

Prior reports claimed that the company had dropped Bella after the uproar. However, TMZ’s sources have seemingly confirmed that the model’s contract with Adidas is still very much alive.

What is the Bella Hadid-Adidas controversy about?

The swelling issue turned into a controversy as Hadid was announced as the face of “Adidas’ next-It shoe”, and the campaign referenced the Munich Olympics, which became the contentious ground for an instance of harrowing historical violence.

The international multi-sports event was ultimately overshadowed by the 1972 massacre, where 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer were reportedly taken hostage and killed by a Palestinian militant group. This news also came amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestine conflict that has shown no signs of dissipation since October 7, 2023.

Though an American model born in Washington D.C. in 1996, Hadid’s father is Palestinian, and she herself identifies as a “proud Palestinian,” per a May 29 Instagram post.

“Palestine on my mind, in my blood and on my heart. Always… While I still have to go to work, even through this horror, to wear our culture makes me a proud Palestinian & I want the world to continue to see Palestine, wherever we go,” she captioned her post while highlighting designers who have been outspoken about the Palestinian cause through the years. She wore a Keffiyeh dress made by the fashion label Michael and Hushi.

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Amid the ongoing controversy, an old speech of Hadidis also going viral. In video clips shared online, she's heard saying, “I'm not afraid to lose modelling jobs. I will continue to speak up for Palestine.” 

The American Jewish Committee addressed the “egregious error” of picking “a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics” on X/Twitter on July 19.

Though ardently vocal about her pro-Palestine stance, Hadid’s response to the campaign per the latest development on the legal horizon signifies that she fervently denounced the ad. It also insinuates that the star had no idea what she was getting into and is ready to make the brand pay for the unintentional defamation caused in the aftermath of the campaign going live.

Adidas issues apology for the advert

The athleisure brand has since dropped the advertisement and is looking to revise it. The company has also scrubbed its social media accounts of all posts featuring Hadid in their latest campaign and has apologised for their “completely unintentional” connections to a tragic historical event.

“We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events — though these are completely unintentional — and we apologise for any upset or distress caused,” Adidas said via a statement to USA Today on Thursday. “As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.”

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