H&M withdraws Justin Bieber project and off-schedule shows in Paris

GHOSTED: Less than 24 hours after announcing he would continue selling collaborative collection with Justin Bieber — although the musician publicly criticized these designs and said he did not 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.

Representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

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.

H&M's spokesperson did not immediately respond as to whether the retailer was considering or had filed a lawsuit against the 28-year-old musician. A representative for Bieber did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday regarding possible legal action against H&M.

He and his wife Hailey have an abundance of sponsorship deals and business ventures, including its recent launch of Rhode Beauté. —Rosemary Feitelberg

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