Ariana Grande is not going to let Forever 21 off the hook for using, what she feels, is her likeness to promote their clothing. After announcing a $10 million lawsuit against the fast-fashion brand earlier this week, the company has responded.
In an exclusive statement made to Today Style, Forever 21 addressed the lawsuit saying, “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."
Court documents suggest that Forever 21 negotiated with Grande for an endorsement deal last year, but the deal broke down after Grande was not offered an amount she felt was sufficient “for an artist of her stature.” Grande’s camp alleges that the look-alike model in question was hired after Grande turned down the company. The official complaint from Grande’s team reads, “The campaign capitalized on the concurrent success of Ms. Grande’s album Thank U, Next by publishing at least 30 unauthorized images and videos misappropriating Ms. Grande’s name, image, likeness, and music in order to create the false perception of her endorsement."
You can find pictures comparing both Grande and the model at Today Style and further details about the lawsuit here.
