Topline
Couture fashion designer Bob Mackie, most famous for the stage looks he created for stars like Cher, Tina Turner and Carol Burnett, has sued the JC Penny department store over the release of a new clothing line called “Mackie: Bob Mackie”—which he claims he had nothing to do with.
Cher and Bob Mackie.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Key Facts
JC Penny in September starting advertising a line of bedazzled gowns and cocktail dresses it said would allow shoppers to “dress like an icon and dare to be noticed,” calling Mackie an “award-winning costume and fashion designer (who has) dressed some of the world’s most iconic women” in a lookbook featuring photos of the collection.
Mackie, however, said in a recent legal complaint he had no idea the collection was coming until the press release started circling and outlets like Page Six, USA Today, People and others published stories claiming he’d “teamed up” with the store to create the collection.
In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, Mackie says it’s possible JC Penny got permission to move forward from the Bob Mackie Design Group, for which Mackie is a minority shareholder, but that the group did not have the authority to allow the use of his name.
Mackie’s lawsuit also accuses JC Penny of releasing the clothing line without his consent to capitalize on the release of Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” album, for which she wears a Mackie design on the cover of certain versions.
Forbes has contacted Bob Mackie Design Group for comment.
JC Penny and its parent company, Catalyst Brands, did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Thursday.
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Crucial Quote
In a press release for the collection, JC Penny noted Mackie most recently brought “his quintessential sparkle to one of the year’s most anticipated albums.” Swift wore one of Mackie’s famously bejeweled creations he originally created for the Las Vegas show “Jubilee!” on the cover of “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Taylor Swift wears Bob Mackie for the cover of “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Mert Alas, Marcus Piggott & TAS Rights Management
Tangent
The lawsuit says Mackie would have never designed a collection for JC Penny because of worries it would “diminish the commercial value of his name,” recalling when designer Halston entered into a licensing agreement with JCPenney in the 1980s and had his brand damaged. “High-end fashion retailers stopped carrying his clothing line because of Halston’s association with JCPenney, a lower-priced mass-market retail chain store,” the lawsuit reads.
Key Background
Mackie shot to fame after spending more than a decade as costume designer for the TV programs “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.” His long running relationship with Cher led to some of her most famous looks, including the “naked dress” he wore to the 1974 Met Gala and towering feather headdress at the 1986 Oscars. More recently, his designs have been sported by celebrities like Pink, Miley Cyrus and Zendaya.
