Justin Bieber Slams Licensed Merchandise Line, Saying He Didn't Approve Products
H&M just launched a line of licensed merchandise featuring Justin Bieber's likeness and lyrics. With Biebs being one of the most famous names and faces in entertainment, it's a pretty safe bet for H&M. The problem is that Bieber is saying that he didn't approve the merchandise.
"I didn't approve any of the mercy collection they put up at H&M," Bieber wrote on an Instagram post. "All without my permission and approval. SMH I wouldn't buy it if I were you."
In another post, he called the collection, which includes apparel, tote bags and smartphone accessories relating to his song "Ghost," "trash."
"The H&M mercy they made of me is trash and Id didn't approve it," he wrote in another post. "Don't buy it."
Justin Bieber says H&M’s new merch is being sold without his permission or approval 😳 pic.twitter.com/Vv63GowZKv
— DANI MEDINA (@danimedinanews) December 19, 2022
We know how lucrative attaching Bieber's name to a product can be. Look at the huge success Tim Hortons has had with its TimBiebs menu item and related merchandise rollout!
H&M, meanwhile, says it "followed proper approval procedures," according to The Cut. It's unclear exactly what that means, and it's also not clear whether Bieber's final approval was legally necessary for H&M to roll out the products.
Bieber hasn't taken any legal action so far, but his word might be enough to convince fans not to buy the products.
In that case, H&M would be left with a lot of dead stock. Maybe they could ship it to Canada to include in a future Tim Hortons campaign.
It's a good lesson for merchandisers, though, to make sure that all legal requirements for licensing have been met.

Brendan Menapace is the senior digital editor for Promo Marketing. While writing and editing stories come naturally to him, writing his own bio does not.





