Taylor Swift’s team has responded to accusations that she stole the merchandise logo for her new album, Folklore, from a Black designer.
After Swift, 30, released her eighth studio album on Friday, artist Amira Rasool claimed on Twitter that Folklore‘s merch logo bore a striking resemblance to her online store ,”The Folklore,” which exclusively sells goods from Africa and the diaspora, according to its website.
“Wait hold up. Taylor Swift, it’s one thing to use the name ‘Folklore,’ but we’re out here stealing Black women’s logos too?” Rasool wrote on Twitter.
“I am sharing my story to bring light to the trend of large companies/celebrities copying the work of small minority-owned business owners,” she added on Instagram. “I am not going to let this blatant theft go unchecked.”
In a statement issued to Good Morning America on Tuesday, Swift’s rep responded to Rasool’s accusations.
“Yesterday, we were made aware of a complaint that the specific use of the word ‘the’ before ‘folklore album’ on some of the folklore album merchandise was of concern,” the singer’s rep said. “Absolutely no merchandise using ‘the’ before the words ‘folklore album’ has been manufactured or sent out.”
The statement added, “In good faith, we honored her request and immediately notified everyone who had ordered merchandise with the word ‘the’ preceding ‘folklore album’ that they will now receive their order with the design change.”
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Rasool later expressed her appreciation to Swift’s team for resolving the issue, writing on Twitter and Instagram, “I commend Taylor’s team for recognizing the damage the merchandise caused to my company @TheFolklore’s brand. I recognize that she has been a strong advocate for women protecting their creative rights, so it was good to see her team is on the same page.”
Rasool also said that her lawyers were in communication with Swift’s to determine the “necessary next steps to make this situation right.”
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Swift’s surprise new album consists of 16 titles, including “Illicit Affairs,” “Mad Woman,” “The Last Great American Dynasty” and “Betty.” Deluxe copies of Folklore also come with the bonus track “The Lakes.”
In a personal essay about the project, the Grammy winner explained that the collection of songs is the product of letting her imagination run free as a form of escapism amid the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness,” Swift wrote. “Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve.”
