06.22.22
Hailey Bieber launched Rhode, her skincare line and beauty brand, on June 15th—and the model (who is married to Justin Bieber) is already battling a lawsuit. Scroll down to see Bieber's IG post with scenes from her new brand's launch party.
Hailey's legal name is Hailey Rhode Bieber—but there is a fashion brand with the same name. See it in the photo above, via Instagram @shoprhode.
Rhode, the fashion brand, argues in its complaint, as reported by Us:
"Bieber’s ‘Rhode’-branded products will first saturate the beauty market that overlaps with the women’s clothing and lifestyle market in which Rhode operates.”
The Confusion—And Branding Battle
Rhode, the clothing brand, explains that Bieber's use of the name in promos, such as "Shop Rhode," will be confusing for consumers who may already be familiar with the clothing label. The fashion brand's IG account is named "shop rhode."Rhode (fashion) has 194k IG followers, and many celebrities have worn the brand—but it's no match for Hailey's star power. Hailey's personal IG has 45.4M followers, and the new @rhode IG account, named Rhode Skin, has 422k.
The Fashion Brand's Founders
Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers founded Rhode, the fashion label, in 2014.Us reports that Khatau and Vickers stated:
“We don’t want to sue Hailey; we want to celebrate her. As fellow women entrepreneurs, we wish her every success … but the brand Rhode is everything we have worked hard to achieve, and her using our name is hurting our company, our employees, our customers and our partners.”
Splitting the Rights to the Same Name?
TMZ reports that a source confirmed that Bieber owns the trademark for skincare, and the other Rhode holds the trademark for clothing.In another statement to the press, Rhode, the fashion brand, claims that Bieber tried—unsuccessfully—to secure the rights to the trademark from the clothing label in 2018.
More About the Celebrity Couple's Projects
Hailey Bieber currently stars in a fashion campaign for YSL.Like Hailey, Justin has a brand named after his middle name—Drew House, featuring streetwear clothing. Also like Hailey, Justin is no stranger to being accused of infringement.
Back in 2011, Justin Beiber launched a fragrance, Someday—and the bottle was strikingly similar to Marc Jacobs Lola, which launched in 2009. Jacobs and Coty decided not to pursue a lawsuit.
