Ariana Grande is suing Forever 21 for at least £8.3 million in damages for using her likeness - via a ‘lookalike model’. According to The New York Times, Grande filed a lawsuit against the clothing giant and its sister brand Riley Rose on Monday (September 2) for misappropriating her name, image, music and likeness.
Grande refused to endorse the company when they approached her in November, because they 'wouldn't pay the fair market value for a celebrity of Ms. Grande's stature'. The singer alleges that the brand then hired someone with an 'uncanny' resemblance to her, and plagiarised imagery from the video for 7 Rings. The lawsuit includes a post on Forever 21’s Instagram account - captioned with the lyrics ‘Gee thanks, just bought it’ - that showed the 'lookalike' model wearing a high ponytail, with pink hair accessories.
Another post shows a model in camouflage trousers, pink high heels, white socks and a belt, which was another look styled by Grande in the video. The lawsuit also claims the brand used images from Grande’s Thank U, Next music video, adding that one Instagram post by Grande is worth ‘well into the six figures’. However, images shown in the lawsuit no longer appear to be on Forever 21's social media.
A spokesman for Forever 21 told CNN in an email, 'Forever 21 does not comment on pending litigation as per company policy. That said, 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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