Adidas pauses Fewocious collaboration amid sexual assault allegations

The Adidas Originals x FEWOCiOUS NFT/sneaker collection "has been put on hold for the time being" following sexual assault and abuse allegations towards the artist.

Adidas announced today via Discord that their upcoming collaboration with Web3 artist Fewocious “has been put on hold for the time being” following allegations of abuse and sexual assault.

Over the past month, a Twitter user with the handle “elliott'' alleged that Fewocious (whose real name is Victor Langlois) was verbally and physically abusive in their relationship. On June 6th, Elliott wrote that they were beaten and abused by Langlois.

Elliott explained that coming forward was a difficult choice: “trying to figure out how to disclose that my ex boyfriend was insanely abusive without people getting mad at ME about it is actually very difficult.”

One Twitter user replied: “There are people that care. More than you know I’m sure.”

Expressing their gratitude, Elliott responded by explaining that it was difficult to discuss their personal trauma as “no one [is] listening because they like [Langlois’] art or fear devaluing an investment they’ve made in it. it doesn’t seem worth it to me.” 

Elliott continued to share their story over the next couple weeks, quote tweeting the Fewocious/Adidas collaboration on June 13th with a message that read: “if you buy these shoes you’re supporting an abuser. … he hit me, screamed at me, threw me into walls, choked me, sexually assaulted me even when i cried and begged him to stop. he is an ABUSER. he is physically and verbally abusive.”

Although the allegations first appeared early in June, the issue did not reach widespread acknowledgement until one of Elliott’s tweets went viral on the 15th:

hey @fewocious did you feel powerful when you raped me? did it make you feel like a man when you told me to kill myself? did you feel tough when you called me a stupid bitch for crying after my mom attempted suicide? you’re a monster and i’m not going to be quiet anymore

Elliott also shared screenshots of a text conversation with Langlois that showed clear evidence of abusive language.

“That this took 3 or 4 days to come to the wider view of [Crypto Twitter] says volumes about power imbalance,” wrote one Twitter user.

Langlois is a very popular artist, amassing over $50 million in lifetime sales. He was named as one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential in December 2022. His work also received extensive coverage from several media traditional outlets such as Esquire, ABC News, and Hypebeast. 

“Speaking up about being assaulted isn’t easy for the victim, and it’s even harder when the person being accused is rich and powerful,” photographer John Wingfield wrote in a June 16 post.

Almost immediately, the allegations prompted misogynistic and transphobic responses, with numerous users commenting that the issue should be handled by the police or in court.

Many others pushed back against victim-blaming attitudes.

A message posted today in the Adidas Discord read: “It’s very common for victims not to turn to the police, for many reasons, after a sexual assault. … Fewocious’ response — again, in my opinion — is not the kind of response an innocent person submits.”

Others wrote messages of support to Elliott: “Prioritise your safety and honour your truth. Let go of how others may respond, that's not your weight to carry. You are courageous and strong.” 

Langlois’ Adidas collaboration was celebrated by crypto-focused outlets like nft now and promoted by well-known crypto influencers such as DeeZe and Farokh.

DeeZe wrote after the allegations appeared: “Mfers sharing slander that can easily be faked like it is gospel are tiring. There are always two sides to every story and blasting dirty laundry that doesn’t involve you at all is in extremely poor taste.”

DeeZe’s tweet has since been deleted. DeeZe did not respond to request for comment.

[Correction: DeeZe’s tweet was not deleted and remains live here.]

Farokh, who works on the Fewocious team as the Chief Vibes Officer, declined to offer public comment.

Langlois responded to the allegations with a tweet on June 17th:

there are allegations being made online by an ex partner of mine, that are completely untrue, dangerous & hurtful. the alleged events did not happen and out of respect for privacy and due process, i’m not going to publicly address this matter further

Langlois did not respond to request for comment following the June 21st announcement from Adidas.