Jennie's adidas Co-Design Launch Caught in Boycott Storm as Brand Issues Apology

Jennie's first co-designer collection with adidas had barely reached store shelves when it became the latest flashpoint in a widening boycott campaign targeting the brand. The collection, adidas Originals by JENNIE, launched globally on the 1st, but the campaign imagery went public at almost exactly the same moment that criticism of a separate adidas Israel advertisement was reaching peak volume internationally.

Jennie had been an adidas model and brand ambassador for several years before this collaboration. The co-designer credit marks her first time with her name attached directly to the product, making it a meaningful step up in the partnership. adidas announced the collection on the 28th of last month, confirming her involvement in the design process itself.

The ad that started it

The controversy centers on a campaign run by adidas Israel called the "Single Shoe Service," which allowed customers who need only one shoe to purchase a single item at half the price of a pair. The Israeli promotion featured disabled athletes, including former Israel Defense Forces soldier Shalev Biton, who lost a leg in May 2021 after an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza struck him while he was serving with the Nahal infantry brigade.

Pro-Palestinian activists argued that casting a former IDF soldier in an amputee-focused advertisement was deeply inappropriate given the large number of civilian amputees, including children, resulting from the conflict in Gaza. The backlash escalated into a broader #BoycottAdidas movement across social media.

Pressure lands on Jennie

As the boycott spread, some users directed their criticism toward Jennie's posts specifically. Comments telling her to "please leave this brand" and urging her to "distance yourself from adidas" appeared under her campaign content. The hashtag #BoycottAdidas circulated alongside calls for her to end the collaboration, and British outlet Fashion Times reported that criticism of the Jennie-adidas relationship had emerged among some BLACKPINK fans.

On the 7th, adidas responded with a formal statement. "We are aware that imagery used in a recent local promotion in Israel has caused concern and strong reactions," the brand said. "It was never our intent to cause offense, and we apologize to those affected." adidas also clarified that the advertisement was produced by its local Israeli team and was not part of any global campaign.

The apology addresses the Israeli ad directly, but the brand's statement does not mention Jennie or the adidas Originals by JENNIE collection. The timing remains uncomfortable: a collaboration that expanded her role from ambassador to co-creator has now been pulled into a debate that has nothing to do with her or the work she put into it.