LOS ANGELES, Sept 4 — US pop star Ariana Grande has sued fashion retailer Forever 21 for using her trademark style to promote its products without her permission, including adverts featuring a “look-alike model”.
Grande is seeking US$10 million (RM42.2 million) over claims the brand, and its spin-off cosmetics line Riley Rose, created an online campaign with striking similarities to her music videos, such as 7 Rings, from late last year.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles district court yesterday, claims the campaign was intended to trick consumers into believing Grande had endorsed Forever 21’s youth-oriented products.
“Even a single social media post by Ms Grande can garner fees of several hundred thousand dollars, and her longer-term endorsement arrangements command fees in the millions of dollars,” it said.
Grande has 163 million Instagram followers, making her the most-followed woman on the photo- and video-sharing social media platform.
Images from Forever 21’s Instagram account cited by the lawsuit showed a model wearing purple camouflage clothing and a pink headband and boots similar to those worn by Grande in the 7 Rings music video.
The images appear to have been taken down from the company’s social media accounts.
A Forever 21 statement denied the allegations, adding that the fashion firm has “worked with (Grande’s) licensing company over the past two years.”
“We are hopeful that we will find a mutually agreeable resolution and can continue to work together in the future,” it added.
Bloomberg News reported last week that Forever 21 was preparing for a bankruptcy filing. — AFP
