Hailey Bieber is in hot water over her new beauty brand, “Rhode” as another 8-year-old brand with the same name is now suing her for trademark infringement.
While for Hailey, “Rhode” holds personal meaning given that it’s her middle name, the existing fashion brand that comes eponymously name is not having it, and believe that Hailey Beiber knew about them and still went ahead with the beauty launch.
Why Did Hailey Bieber Name Her Brand Rhode?
When Hailey was launching a beauty brand, she didn’t initially name it Rhode. In fact, in the beginning, she filed a trademark with the United States Patent Office for “Bieber Beauty”. The filing was rejected, mostly because Bieber himself has many similar marks registered and the USPTO felt it would create confusion.
Ultimately, while Hailey is married to Justin Bieber, her beauty brand is a separate legal entity and needs to be treated as such. Both Hailey and Justin tried to fight for the name with the USPTO but finally had to abandon it, after which Hailey named her brand “Rhode”.
For Hailey, this was a homage to her matriarchal side of the family, as she was christened Hailey Rhode Baldwin, and even now, maintains the legal name of Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber. When Bieber opened the Drew House clothing line, he took similar inspiration from his middle name, Drew.
She said so in a statement as well, “My skincare goes back to being a kid—getting out of the shower or the bath, and my mom just not letting me leave the bathroom until she, like, drenched me head to toe.”
And she’s certainly proud of her line.
View this post on Instagram
8-Year-Old Fashion Brand Suing Hailey Bieber
And now, two former college roommates, Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers, who created a successful clothing line under the “RHODE” trademark have sued Hailey Bieber, filing the suit on Tuesday. While the latter is a fashion brand dubbed RHODE, Hailey’s beauty brand, Rhode, is creating market confusion for them might just push sales down.
The brand is no stranger to celebrities given that the Instagram handle, @shoprhode, is followed by the likes of Debra Messing, Jessica Alba, and Mindy Kaling.
In a statement issued on their official Instagram page, Khatau and Vickers said that they don’t want to sue, but are forced, to survive.
“Today, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Hailey Bieber and her new skin-care line that launched last week and that is using the brand “RHODE.” We didn’t want to file this lawsuit, but we had to protect our business. We admire Hailey. She has worked hard and earned the ability to create her skin-care line. We don’t want to sue Hailey; we want to celebrate her. As fellow women entrepreneurs, we wish her every success.”
The Brand Alleges Hailey Tried To Buy It From Them
The co-founders filed the suit against 25-year-old Hailey Bieber in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The filing states that Khatau and Vickers launched the company in May 2013 and have since “dedicated ourselves to growing and nurturing the RHODE brand through much personal sacrifice and hardship.”
The lawsuit asks the judge to cite trademark infringement and block Hailey Bieber from selling or marketing any products with the Rhode name, plus for her to pay unspecified damages.
It’s a fairly reputable brand today, sold in luxury stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Celebrities like Beyoncé and Rihanna have also been spotted wearing it. Not only do Khatau and Vickers own the RHODE trademark for clothing items and accessories, but they have also filed applications to expand to other areas like household items. As per the lawsuit, they were also planning to expand to makeup and skincare.
They also allege that four years ago, Hailey tried to make them sell the brand name to her, but they refused. While Instagram promised them the “Rhode” handle, which was lying dormant, it was still given to Hailey Bieber instead.
In the statement by the clothing brand, the co-founders also wrote, “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. Her using our brand is hurting our company, our employees, our customers, and our partners.”
There has been no statement issued by Hailey Bieber or her skincare brand, Rhode, as of now.
Here’s the statement issued by Khatau and Vickers:
View this post on Instagram
