While Hailey Bieber was surely bracing herself for how the products would be received, it turns out the brand was missing a very important detail that has now led to a lawsuit. Despite the many years of work that Bieber claims have gone into Rhode, it looks like more time was needed since her brand failed to recognize that they were using the same name as a fashion brand that has been around for nine years already, per Buzzfeed News.
Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers launched their clothing brand Rhode back in 2013, and they were shell-shocked when their small brand was hit with the news of Bieber launching a large-scale skincare brand copping their name. They even claim that Instagram chose to give Bieber the @Rhode handle after initially promising it to them, per Buzzfeed News.
Khatau and Vickers have chosen to sue Bieber for trademark infringement. Their Instagram announcement revealed, “Hailey could choose any brand for her skin-care line. We have only the brand name ‘RHODE’ that we’ve built. That’s why we didn’t sell her our brand when she asked four years ago, and why we ask her now to change her skin-care line’s brand.” Their clothing line Rhode is currently being sold in Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and they have finally been making it big with celebrities wearing their range from Beyoncé to Rihanna. So, they’re certainly not going to sit back and let Bieber’s skincare plans derail their success, per People.
