Athletic brand Reebok has slammed claims Beyoncé walked out of a partnership meeting due to lack of diversity in their pitch meeting.
It is unclear where the rumours started, however, the story was perpetuated on ESPN’s The Jump.
ESPN reporter Nick DePaula said on the show: “She [Beyoncé] 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 the team that would be working on my product?’
“And somebody said yes, and she said, ‘Nobody in this room reflects my background, my skin color and where I’m from and what I want to do.’ And she kind of took a step back and left, and they did not come to terms.”
However, Reebok has hit back at the claim, saying it is “categorically false”.
Reebok told TMZ in a statement: “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.”
Reebok’s loss was Adidas’ gain as it was last week revealed the 37-year-old Grammy winner will relaunch her Ivy Park line with Adidas.
At B&T, we believe in creating a workforce that is diverse and inclusive. That’s one of the reasons we created Changing the Ratio, Australia’s diversity and inclusion conference for the advertising industry. Check out the 2019 schedule today.
