Forget “7 Rings,” these days Ariana Grande’s anthem would more aptly be titled “8 Figures” ($10,000,000, to be exact). That’s how much the singer is suing fast fashion brand Forever 21 and beauty company Riley Rose for.

Their crime (of fashion)? Grande’s accusing Forever 21 of stealing “her name, likeness, and other intellectual property.” According to the complaint, the company approached Grande for an endorsement deal late last year, “which she explicitly declined due to Forever 21’s unwillingness to pay the fair market value for a celebrity of Ms. Grande’s stature.” For the record, her “fair market value” ranges from hundreds of thousands of dollars (for “even a single social media post”) to millions (for “longer-term endorsement arrangements”). Despite the collapse of said proposal, Grande’s camp alleges that Forever 21 still benefited from the singer’s brand, “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.”

This misappropriation of Grande’s image included hiring a look-alike to model near replicas of clothing and accessories worn in the singer’s “7 Rings” music video.

Perhaps Forever 21 took the lyrics “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it” a bit too seriously?

The brand has yet to respond to InStyle's request for complaint.

Source: Read Full Article