Bella Hadid recently spoke about the Adidas SL 72 sneaker campaign she modeled for earlier this month. The campaign featured the brand’s classic sneaker that was first launched at the 1972 Munich Olympics. This was where eleven Israeli athletes and a German police officer were killed by Black September, the Palestinian militant group, after they broke into the Olympic Village.

Bella Hadid Adidas SL 72 campaign

Hadid stated that she would “never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.” She continued, “In advance of the campaign’s release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972.”

The supermodel expressed her shock and disappointment in the campaign and went on to say, “Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated.” Furthermore, she took accountability on behalf of herself and her team for not doing more research in order to understand more.

She ended her statement by showing her support for Palestine saying, “I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism.” She concluded with “I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people but every person worldwide.”

Bella Hadid's statement about the Adidas SL 72 campaign

This campaign was also not taken lightly by the Israeli government as seen on a post from their X account. The post criticized Adidas for featuring Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who continuously advocates for Palestine, as the face of their campaign.

It has also been reported that Bella Hadid is in the works of taking legal action against the sportswear brand for the creation of an insensitive and damaging campaign and their lack of public accountability.

In response to the backlash and controversy, Adidas released two public apologies. These were dedicated not only to the public and communities that were upset by the campaign, but also to their partners, Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast, and Jules Koundé.