H&M pulls Justin Bieber product after singer calls it ‘trash’ | Popgen Tech

On Monday, Bieber accused a Swedish retailer of selling clothing with his name and image without the Canadian singer’s permission.

“The H&M merch they made of me is trash and I didn’t approve of it. Don’t buy,” he wrote on his Instagram story. “I did not endorse any of the product collections they put on H&M… all without my permission and approval. SMH, I wouldn’t buy this if I were you.’

We were talking about sweaters and t-shirts with Bieber’s name, his face and even his lyrics. But the singer’s short tirade appears to have had the desired effect, as not a single item related to the search term “Bieber” appeared on the retailer’s online store.

A spokesperson for H&M confirmed Fortune that the items were removed on Wednesday, disputing Bieber’s claims that the items were made and sold without his consent.

“H&M followed all the proper approval procedures, as we did in this case, but out of respect for the collaboration and Justin Bieber, we have removed the clothing from sale,” the spokesperson said.

A representative for Bieber’s record label did not immediately respond Fortunerequest for comment.

Bieber’s fashion connections

The temptation to use Bieber’s likeness in a clothing brand is certainly there, given the singer’s prominence in the fashion world. The singer has his own clothing line featuring his face and lyrics on his personal website, and in 2019 he launched his own streetwear line called Drew House, which sold out within hours of launch.

The company reportedly made more than $1 million in revenue last year, and the line’s revenue is expected to grow roughly 200% from 2019 to 2022. Vogue Business.

Bieber is no stranger to partnerships with clothing lines. In 2016, he collaborated with Forever 21 to design items with his face and lyrics, and Drew House has collaborated twice with the shoe brand Crocs since 2020.

The first collaboration with Crocs featured a limited edition designed by Bieber, spurring record sales for the brand that temporarily overwhelmed his online store.

Bieber wouldn’t be the first celebrity with a high fashion sense to have their likeness used without their consent.

In 2019, Ariana Grande sued Forever 21, seeking at least $10 million in damages after the clothing company used her photos and images from one of her music videos in a series of Instagram posts.

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