Anyone looking to get their hands on the latest Justin Bieber merch at H&M is out of luck. After the singer publicly derided the latest items released, the brand has decided to pull them from shelves and its website. But, the company also defended producing the items in the first place after Bieber claimed he didn't "approve" the designs. Read on to find out why the 28-year-old pop star instructed his fans to boycott the line and to see how H&M responded.
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Bieber's collaboration with H&M began years ago.
H&M began selling merchandise for Bieber fans years ago. Back in 2016, items related to his Purpose Tour, including hoodies and graphic T-shirts, were produced by the retailer. The star didn't express any disappointment with those designs, but the latest line didn't fare quite as well.
Bieber called the new merchandise "trash."
DFree / ShutterstockAs reported by BuzzFeed News, in a post on his Instagram Story on Dec. 20, Bieber wrote, "I didn’t approve any of the merch collection that they put up at H&M... all without my permissions and approval SMH I wouldn’t buy it If I were you."
In another post, he wrote, "The H&M merch they made of me is trash and I didn’t approve it, don't buy it."
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The line included clothing, tote bags, and more.
Jack Fordyce / ShutterstockThe Instagram fan account @jbiebertraacker posted photos of the new items on Dec. 19. The products once available included a sweatshirt, a T-shirt, and a tote bag featuring photos of Bieber, as well as a hoodie and a phone case printed with the words, "I miss you more than life," a lyric from his 2021 song "Ghost." People reports that the collection also included a gray sweatshirt dress sporting a photo of the singer.
Bieber himself commented on @jbiebertraacker's post, writing, "When everyone finds out I didn’t approve any of this merch smh" along with a face-palm emoji.
H&M issued a statement.
Tinseltown / ShutterstockIn a statement to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for H&M said, "As with all other licensed products and partnerships, H&M followed proper approval procedures." But the brand also added that the items had been pulled. “Out of respect for the collaboration and Justin Bieber, we have removed the garments from our stores and online," the statement continues.
If you search the H&M website for Bieber's name now, there are no results.
Fans weren't happy with Bieber getting the line discontinued.
Sky Cinema / ShutterstockIn the comments on posts made by @jbiebertraacker, many fans expressed that they were disappointed in Bieber not approving of the line, because they were excited to have more affordable merch than what is sold on his website.
"But then what he approves is merch that goes for $80," one commenter wrote. Another said, "Justin we are poor pls understand, we gonna buy it." Someone else wrote, "i literally don’t care. his 'original merch' it’s [sic] not better than this and this one is affordable."
Other fans supported the star. Prior to the line being pulled, some fans wrote on social media that they'd canceled their orders and others agreed that they didn't like the look of the new pieces. One fan wrote, "no because this is not giving. You can tell Justin did not approve it LOLLL." Another said, "Even Justin said the merch is trash. Don’t buy it. I had a feeling this wasn’t his idea."
