Ariana Grande Is Suing Forever 21 For Using A ‘Lookalike’ Model To Promote Their Products

Ariana Grande has filed a $10m lawsuit against US retailer Forever 21, accusing them of piggybacking on her image without paying her.

According to NBC, the suit claims Forever 21 stole the singer’s name and likeness to promote both its products and a beauty company started by its founders’ daughters.

The company reportedly used at least 30 photos and videos “misappropriating her name, image, likeness and music” in what Ariana thinks was an attempt to confuse customers into thinking she endorsed the products.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsvkaC8lIL2/

She’s also not happy that they hired a model who looked “strikingly similar to her”, and used audio and lyrics from her hit song 7 Rings.

Interestingly, Ariana and Forever 21 were apparently in talks earlier this year to do a joint marketing campaign, which fell through when the brand wouldn’t pay enough for “a celebrity of Ms Grande’s stature”.

Fashion industry watchdog Diet Prada posted one of the images from the Forever 21 campaign in question, alongside a still from the 7 Rings video:

Forever 21 has not made a statement about the lawsuit, but ABC reports that the company is preparing to file for bankruptcy, negotiating with financial advisors in a “last-ditch attempt to restructure its debt”.

The brand pulled out of Ireland last year, closing its massive store in Dublin’s Jervis Shopping Centre.

• Ariana Grande
• Forever 21