Ariana Grande Is Suing Forever 21 For Trying To Turn A Random Model Into Her
Well this is...blatant.
Ariana Grande is suing Forever 21 for US $10 million, claiming the clothing franchise used her likeness and lyrics from her songs after a proposed partnership deal with her fell through.
As reported by Reuters, Grande’s suit alleges she was in talks to collaborate on a marketing campaign with Riley Rose, a beauty line owned by and sold at Forever 21. Plans allegedly came to a halt this February when Grande’s team was unhappy over the amount of money on the table.
Grande’s team allege that when Riley Rose’s campaign has launched in February, they asked the images to be removed, believing the company wilfully mislead people into thinking the pop star was endorsing their brand.
In promotional material, a Grande look-a-like can be seen in neon pink and purple lighting wearing pink pom-poms and chains in her hair — it’s all very reminiscent of the music video for thank u, next single ‘7 Rings’. In addition, the company’s social media captions directly reference ‘7 Rings’ lyrics, writing, “gee thanks, just bought it”.
Selection of images from the Forever 21 campaign, as cited in Grande’s lawsuit. (Via Reuters)
The lawsuit claims Forever 21 published at least 30 images and videos which used Grande’s likeness, including stills from her own videos and other work. According to the suit, Forever 21 did not remove all of their promotional material until at least April 17, despite Grande’s team demanding deletion in February, shortly after the ‘7 Rings’ video was released.
Selection of images from the Forever 21 campaign, as cited in Grande’s lawsuit. (Via Reuters)
In a statement, Forever 21 said that they do not comment on “pending litigation as per company policy”. “That said,” it reads, “while we dispute the allegations, we are huge supporters of Ariana Grande and have worked with her 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.”
The lawsuit arrives just a week after rumours that Forever 21 could soon file for bankruptcy. In a slightly ironic point, Grande herself received accusations of plagiarism over ‘7 Rings’ upon release, with Princess Nokia, 2Chainz and Soulja Boy all saying the song ripped them off.