Forever 21 again in hot water for copying designers

By

Rebecca Taras

Published
Apr 21, 2017

Forever 21 is in the news again—and not for something positive like when it launched its plus-size swimwear line. The internet can’t get over how the discount retailer ripped off “The Life of Pablo” collection by Kanye West.

It wasn’t long after Forever 21 released a long-sleeve T-shirt with the words “private concert” and “Saint Francis”—written in a gothic-style font suspiciously similar to the one used in Kanye’s The Life of Pablo merchandise—that fans took to Twitter to point out the almost blatant rip-off. Kanye’s shirt says Saint Pablo, which is a nod to Kayne and Kim Kardashian’s son, the name of his tour and a track on the artist’s album, The Life of Pablo.

This isn’t the first time Forever 21 has produced designs similar to those of clothing lines from the rap megastar. Last September, the retailer was selling a maroon sweatshirt that looked almost identical to the one West wore at Madison Square Garden when he unveiled his new album, and fans have pointed out the similarity to his distressed denim jacks and pieces from his Calabasas collection, too. There has been no comment or action from West yet on any of these alleged plagiarisms.

Kanye West isn’t the only designer Forever 21 has knocked-off. Earlier this month, Puma filed for copyright infringement on three of Rihanna’s Puma x Fenty footwear designs but Forever 21 prevailed in the first round. Considering the youthful retailer has partnered with the likes of Justin Bieber for an eight-piece Forever 21 x Justin Bieber Purpose Tour Collection, it begs the question why the company seems to have taken inspiration from, rather than directly collaborating with other artists and celebrities in the same legitimate manner.