WASHINGTON — Taylor Swift, the 10-time Grammy-award winning singer, has taken action after her new album "folklore" merchandise was accused of copying the logo of a Black-owned business.
The founder of the online retailer The Folklore, Amira Rasool, accused the singer last week of selling merchandise that used the logo of her company, which sells clothes, accessories and other products. It's "an online concept store delivering Africa & the diaspora's top contemporary designer brands," according to its Instagram.
Rasool shared photos on Twitter and Instagram that showed cardigans and sweatshirts with the words "The Folklore Album" for sale on Swift's website.
"Based on the similarities of the design, I believe the designer of the merch ripped off my company's logo," she said on Instagram July 24. "I am sharing my story to bring light to the trend of large companies/celebrities copying the work of small minority-owned business owners. I am not going to let this blatant theft go unchecked."
InStyle reported that as of Tuesday, Swift's website was no longer selling merchandise with the works "The Folklore Album," but changed it to read "Folklore Album."
Rasool praised the pop singer and her team for changing her merchandise by tweeting, "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."
She added that it was a great first step and that they were having conversations about how "to make the situation right."
On Thursday, Taylor Swift announced that she would be donating to Rasool's company.
"Amira, I admire the work you’re doing and I’m happy to make a contribution to your company and to support the Black in Fashion Council (launching on 8/3) with a donation," Swift tweeted.
Later, Rasool publicly thanked Swift for her response.
Swift's surprise album dropped on July 24 and includes 16 songs, one of which is a collaboration with indie folk band Bon Iver.
