Beyonce – Reebok Denies Reports Singer Walked Out Of Business Meeting Over Lack Of Diversity

Beyoncé

Beyonce – Reebok Denies Reports Singer Walked Out Of Business Meeting Over Lack Of Diversity

Fresh off the news that Beyoncé will be relaunching her Ivy Park athleisure line through a new partnership with Adidas, competitor Reebok is responding to claims that she reportedly walked out of a meeting with them because of the company’s alleged lack of diversity.

While appearing on ESPN’s The Jump, writer Nick DePaula detailed that Beyoncé declined to work, reportedly walking out of a business meeting, with Reebok because they don’t represent her personal experience as black woman.DePaula explained:

“Throughout this process over the last year or two she had discussed with Under Armour, with Reebok as well, Jordan [at Nike] at one point was interested in maybe partnering with her. 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?’”

He continued, adding:

“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. 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.”

A representative for Reebok has responded to the claims that the singer left a business meeting as “categorically false.”

The entirety of their statement reads:

“The report that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to lack of diversity is categorically false. 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.”

As previously reported, Beyoncé will relaunch Ivy Park with Adidas and also include a signature shoe. This is after she bought back full ownership of the line from U.K. retailer Topshop, after its CEO was accused of sexual abuse and racial bias.

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