H&M launches the Justin Bieber collection

Less than 24 hours after saying he would continue selling a collaborative collection with Justin Bieber — despite the musician publicly criticizing these designs and saying he didn't approve of them - H&M backtracked and stopped selling the pieces.

On Monday, Bieber posted on Instagram Stories that he hadn't endorsed any H&M collections, posting " All without my [SMH] permission and approval, I wouldn't buy it if I were you."

He then posted to his 270 million Instagram followers: "H&M merch they made of me is trash and I didn't approve of it. Don't buy it."

The Swedish fast-fashion chain hit back at that claim on Monday, telling WWD that "as for other licensed products and partnerships, H&M followed the appropriate approvals and procedures. At that time, the company said the merchandise would remain on sale, but said "we need to look into this further to understand, before we act".

Tuesday, however, H&M had changed its tone a bit. In a statement, the retailer reiterated Bieber's involvement, but noted that the designs are no longer being sold. A company spokesperson told WWD on Wednesday, "As mentioned in our previous statement, H&M followed appropriate approval procedures. Out of respect for the collaboration and Justin Bieber, we have removed the garments from our stores and in line.

Bieber's image appeared on a dress, a sweatshirt, a t-shirt and a tote bag. A $40 phone case and hoodie read "I miss you more than life," a reference to the lyrics of his song "Ghost."

The alliance was no wonder for the Grammy winner and the Swedish giant of retail. The two parties had teamed up in 2017 for a "Stadium Tour" collaboration, after Bieber canceled the final leg of his "Purpose" tour dates. The assortment consisted of hoodies, t-shirts with graphic designs, bomber jackets and sweatpants that echoed his official tour merchandise.

Given their reach on social media, global superstars like Bieber have the clout to guide or alienate millions of consumers from a brand. In recent years, certain incidents have resulted in lawsuits, including a lawsuit Ariana Grande filed against Forever 21 in 2019.

The country or region in which the agreement was filed is critical as copyright laws Copyright, trademarks, design rights and image rights vary or, in some cases, do not exist, according to Stephen Sidkin, partner at Fox Williams LLP and chair of its fashion law group. Citing Rihanna's 2015 lawsuit against Topshop [for using her image on a T-shirt without her permission], he said it was largely successful, but maybe not to the extent. where she had planned.

From his perspective, the worst-case scenario would be for Bieber and H&M to end up in court because the dispute would likely become a public record and could impact other brands choosing to work with them.

While having a well-drafted agreement is one thing, "controlling, monitoring, or properly enforcing that agreement is another matter, Sidkin said. Overall, to the extent possible, parties who can protect their intellectual property by registration, "they should grab it with both hands," Sidkin said.

Again...