Ariana Grande and Forever 21 are at loggerheads over a recent campaign by the fashion brand.
The “7 Rings” crooner is suing the fashion retailer for $10 million (£8.3 million) over an advertising campaign in which the company used a model which the singer says looks too much like her.
Grande alleges that the brand hired someone with an “uncanny” resemblance to her after she refused to endorse the company when it approached her in November last year.
She says that Forever 21 and its sister company Riley Rose then stole her “name, likeness and other intellectual property” to promote its brand for free.
In the complaint filed in federal court this week, Grande said Forever 21 published unauthorized images and videos to create the false perception that the pop star was endorsing the fast-fashion brand.
Among the accusations: hiring a Grande look-alike – who – according to the lawsuit – wears a similar outfit to one worn by the singer and sports a hairstyle all-too-similar to the one she wore in her 7 Rings music video.
The lawsuit also alleges music and captions with lyrics from that number 1 single were used in the marketing campaign, which the complaint says ‘capitalized’ on the success of Grande’s album Thank U, Next.
Grande’s complaint also makes it clear she has no deal with Forever 21. The singer claims the two sides were in talks about a joint marketing campaign, but that deal broke down when Forever 21 wasn’t willing to pay up.
The lawsuit claims that the value of a single social media post from Grande, who boasts 163 million followers on Instagram alone, is worth ‘well into the six figures.’
However, according to BBC, a spokesman for Forever 21 has said that it cannot comment on what was going on legally but added: “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.”
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