vogue drake

Vogue is suing Drake and 21 Savage over the fake cover they made for 'Her Loss'

Today in need-to-know news from the world of Drake, Canada's golden boy is being sued by an irate woman over something completely unrelated to putting hot sauce in condoms.

The Torontonian rapper and his Her Loss collaborator, 21 Savage, have caught the ire of none other than the infamous editrix Anna Wintour by creating a fake issue of Vogue featuring themselves on the cover... and then distributing the work so widely that many people believed it was real.

As reported on Tuesday by TMZ, Vogue's parent company Condé Nast is seeking at least $4 million in damages from Drake and 21 Savage for trademark infringement, false advertising and "brand dilution," among other claims.

The suit stems from one part of a fake promotional tour staged by the recording artists to hype their new album last week.

"Me and my brother on newsstands tomorrow!" wrote Drake when sharing a photo of the mocked-up magazine cover on Instagram on Oct. 30. "Thanks @voguemagazine and Anna Wintour for the love and support on this historic moment."

Despite the high-profile shoutout, it would appear as though Wintour was not pleased to see Drake on the cover of her venerated fashion rag — not without her approval or even knowledge.

But it was more than the faux cover that got Condé feeling Nasty; It was the widespread distribution and promotion of the magazine as if Drake and 21 Savage were indeed featured in the October issue of Vogue.

Members of the project team went so far as to hand out free copies of the fake magazine in New York City before Her Loss dropped on Nov. 4, and those lucky enough to have scored one say it was pretty much a duplicate of Vogue's October issue, only filled with fake ads featuring Drake and 21 Savage.

On top of the in-person promotion, social media announcements and physical posters erected, Condé Nast also alleges that Drake's team sent out an email blast "celebrating Drake's Vogue cover."

The entire stunt was so convincing that several media outlets reported on the news of an impending issue of Vogue fronted by Drake and 21.

To be fair, many people thought the fake NPR Tiny Desk and Howard Stern appearances were real at first, too, but nobody's getting sued over that (yet.)

According to TMZ, the suit against Drake and 21 also claims that neither Vogue nor Wintour had endorsed the album "in any way," and that Condé Nast had asked "multiple times for all promos using the Vogue name to be taken down" last week to no avail.

Pitchfork writes that the plaintiff is seeking several awards of damages, "including compensation of treble the profits from the album and magazine or treble the legal damages, whichever is greater."

Lead photo by

champagnepapi and 21savage


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Fashion & Style

Toronto women make history with Nike partnership

Leon's and The Brick face allegations of deceptive marketing practices

Toronto fashion week kicks off with a spotlight on emerging Canadian designers

Canadians could cash in on class-action lawsuit filed against Old Navy and Gap

Toronto's island airport will be home to 3 nights of fashion shows

Toronto business that's been around since 1929 announces sudden closure

Breathtaking new Toronto building is home to 4-nights of fashion shows this week

Canadians reveal the oldest items they've successfully returned to Costco