credit: @justinbieber
Recent events confirm that there is now bad blood between the fast fashion brand and Swedish household name H&M and global superstar Justin Bieber.
The Biebs is not pleased
The singer took his frustrations to Instagram stories on Monday to complain that the clothing brand had launched a merchandise line with his name that he neither approved of nor knew that it was going to be authorized. To his 270 million Instagram followers, he explained: “I didn’t approve any of the merch collection that they put up at H&M… all without my permission and approval,” and further wrote in a since-expired story, that “SMH I wouldn’t buy it if I were you.”
On top of that, he called the merchandise pieces “trash” and advised his followers to not support and buy the collection at H&M.
The singer’s fans supportingly boycott the brand now
As of now, only a canvas tote bag with photos of the “Sorry” performer remains available for purchase on the U.S. website of H&M’, but Bieber fans are also rapidly sharing photos of previously listed items on Twitter, including sweatshirts that read “World Tour” and phone cases which feature lyrics from Justin Bieber’s song “Ghost” (2021).
Moreover, his fans have urged H&M to remove all items featuring Bieber, taking to the retailer’s Instagram account to further call out the allegedly unapproved products.
credit: @justinbieber
The brand’s previous faux-pas
The question is, are we canceling H&M now? It certainly isn’t the brand’s biggest or most controversial scandal, after all. Sure it isn’t cool that they would not let Bieber know about merchandise being sold with his face on it, but it really does not measure up to their 2018 scandal and the backlash they received over their “Monkey Sweatshirt ad”.
I mean, Bieber is not really low on cash, is he? But that does not mean anyone. Not even Bieber should be used for commercialization without consent which then gets turned into the brand’s sole profit. They are capitalizing on his huge popularity with teenagers, and they know it.
H&M’s official statement after the popstar publicly slammed the brand
Massive scandal aside, the brand has since issued a response at Bieber through an H&M spokesperson who refuted Bieber’s claims in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
“As with all other licensed products and partnerships, H&M followed proper approval procedures,” the statement reads. “Out of respect for the collaboration and Justin Bieber, we have removed the garments from our stores and online.”
So maybe it was a grey zone in terms of the legality of the products?
Adding to that, Justin Bieber has not taken legal action against H&M yet. So it cannot be that pressing of an issue to him, can it?
Moreover, the Biebs has his own official website that sells merchandise featuring images and lyrics from his latest album, “Justice”, including hoodies, sweatpants, and t-shirts. It can be believed that he is well off.
credit: @justinbieber
The Justice world tour and its sudden ending- Justin Bieber’s health struggles
This particular album, Justice, released in March 2021, has been well-received by the public and critics alike, with pitchfork stating: “Underneath the ill-advised MLK quotes, you’ll find an earnest pop album that unearths the charisma and agility that helped make Bieber a star.”
In February of 2022, he commenced his global tour, which was supposed to further promote the new album but he had to quickly stop the tour in September due to ongoing health issues, which further worsened. By the time he performed at “Rock in Rio” in Brazil, he was diagnosed with “Ramsay Hunt syndrome”, through which the singer experienced paralysis of half of his face for a while.
After the performance, he issued an apology and claimed that he needed to focus on his physical and mental health for a while until he could resume touring.
We can only hope he and his wife, Hailey Bieber, take a break from all the drama and scandal surrounding them and their marriage and enjoy the holidays.
Gift ideas? Don’t buy the H&M merch
Maybe we will soon know more about the H&M debacle, but until then, when you or a loved one are a Bieber fan, maybe stick to his official website, and the merch Bieber is selling there. That way, you won’t support unethical, non-consensual merch that Bieber was obviously not pleased with.
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