Siberia Hills has issued an apologetic statement to Makoto Kurokawa, stressing that the 'Bad Guy' singer was not aware of the label's error in using his fan-art design without permission.
- August 14, 2019
AceShowbiz - Billie Eilish has pulled her anime-inspired fashion line following accusations the designer had copied another artist's work.
Last week (end August 11), Eilish unveiled a new capsule collection in collaboration with Russian designer Daf Orlovsky's Siberia Hills label.
However, social media users spotted a T-shirt and hoodie adorned with anime character Nozomi Tojo from the Japanese multimedia project "Love Live!", bore a strong resemblance to a piece of artwork by fan Makoto Kurokawa, that featured her in a bikini in four positions.
In a statement posted on the Siberia Hills Instagram page, over the weekend, and liked by the "Bad Guy" singer, company chiefs took full responsibility for the error.
"To the talented artist Mr. M_Qurokawa (Kurokawa's Twitter handle), we apologize for taking from your artwork for our merchandise collaboration with Billie Eilish," the statement read. "Billie and her team were not aware we used your art, they just believed in the product."
The firm has now cancelled production on the clothing and it has been removed from sale in Eilish's online store. They will refund all existing orders.
In his own statement on Twitter, Kurokawa wrote that his "fan-art" design had been used "without permission," and that he was not the copyright holder but unauthorised merchandise was not allowed.
