Billie Eilish's Team Removes Anime Merch In Response To Plagiarism Backlash

Aside from being one of the biggest names in music this year, Billie Eilish has also made a name for herself in the world of fashion. She's starred in ad campaigns for Calvin Klein and MCM and has partnered with a number of brands on limited edition merch lines; however, the 17-year-old's under fire for her latest collaboration. Shortly after announcing a line with Siberia Hills that features new tees and hoodies donning bikini clad anime girls, fans were quick to point out the design looked an awful lot like the character Nozomi Tojo from Love Live!. AnimeNewsNetwork.com reported that the image was actually taken from fan art created by Makoto Kurokawa.

Anime fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns over the clothing line, not only alleging plagiarism but also slamming Siberia Hills for being an illegitimate brand. Eilish's team acknowledged the problematic merch, swiftly removing it from her online store while Siberia Hills issued an apology both to Kurokawa and the singer herself, which the young star shared on her Instagram story.

"To the talented artist Mr. M_Qurokarwa, we apologize for taking from your artwork for our merchandise collection with Billie Eilish," the statement reads. "Billie and her team were not aware that we used your art, they just believed in the product. We were the creative force behind this collaboration. To Billie, and her fans, we apologize for causing this issue. These items will not be released. To those who already purchased, you will be refunded."

See the apology below.

Billie Eilish is performing at this year's Daytime Stage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 21st alongside a lineup of incredible rising stars. A lineup of superstars are also set to perform on the main stage at T-Mobile Arena throughout the weekend, and fans across the country can tune in and watch an exclusive live stream of the show via The CW App and CWTV.com. Then, on October 2nd and 3rd, relive all of the epic performances from the weekend during a televised special on The CW Network at 8pm ET/PT. And leading up to the official television special, The CW will also air an hour-long Best Of Special on Sunday, September 29th at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Photo: Getty Images


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