The publishers of fabled fashion bible Vogue, Condé Nast, are suing rappers Drake and 21 Savage for a reported $US4 million ($A6.2 million) after the duo used a fake Vogue cover to promote their new album Her Loss.
Her Loss dropped a fortnight ago to mixed reviews. During its promotion, the rappers’ publicity team thought it was a good idea to dummy-up the fake cover which was subsequently used on its social media channels that boast some 135 million followers.
The stunt also included an email to fans claiming that actual copies of the nonexistent Vogue would be available on newsstands.
However, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Condé Nast management were having none of this flagrant misuse of their beloved fashionista brand and have promptly called in the lawyers.
The publisher alleges the rappers’ promotional campaign for Her Loss was “built entirely on the use of the Vogue trademarks and the premise that Drake and 21 Savage would be featured on the cover of Vogue’s next issue,” according to a complaint filed on Monday in a Manhattan federal court. “All of this is false. And none of it has been authorised by Condé Nast.”
The now deleted post appeared on the 30th of October on Drake’s Instagram account alongside a caption from the rapper himself that read: “Thanks @voguemagazine and Anna Wintour for the love and support on this historic moment.”
All this has infuriated the famously prickly Wintour, who’s apparently livid for falsely being seen to be endorsing the album.
Condé Nast’s complaint added that Vogue and Wintour “have not endorsed [Her Loss] in any way.”
It added: “The defendants’ flippant disregard for Condé Nast’s rights have left it with no choice but to commence this action.”
Condé Nast also claimed the two rappers created and distributed counterfeit issues of Vogue that were distributed in “North America’s largest metropolitan areas,” alongside posters of the faux cover.
Interestingly, Drake and Wintour are reported to be good friends and the singer regularly references Vogue in his work.
For their part, Drake, 21 Savage nor their record company have yet publicly commented on the law suit.
Alongside the fake Vogue cover, other publicity stunts included a fake Saturday Night Live performance, a falsified interview with famous DJ Howard Stern and an NPR Tiny Desk concert, which was also fake.
