Heavy/Getty Katy Perry performs in London at the concert celebrating King Charles' coronation in May 2023
Pop star Katy Perry‘s fans want her to focus more on her music and less on fashion. The “American Idol” judge has been flooded with harsh criticism on social media for over-promoting her line of shoes and reigniting a years-long trademark battle with Australian clothing designer Katie Jane Taylor.
“We miss singer Katy Perry…” one fan wrote on an Instagram post promoting the singer’s shoe line on June 13, 2023, echoing a sentiment shared by many in recent weeks about their concerns that the star is more concerned with building her fashion empire than releasing new music.
“I agree with the general consensus here @katyperry you should be the bigger person and leave the Aussie Mum alone,” another fan wrote. “You are probably worth millions, she on the other hand started a business in the hopes of making some money to raise her family.”
So far, Perry has not publicly commented on the complaints about her shoe collection or why she’s reigniting the ongoing lawsuit, but has said she’s working on new music ideas. Here’s what you need to know:
Australian Fans Upset Over Perry’s Lawsuit Appeal
On April 28, Perry lost an ongoing legal battle with Australian designer Katie Taylor, who has run a clothing line branded with her birthname — Katie Perry — since 2007, according to 9News. She sued the singer for selling Katy Perry clothing in Australia, which Taylor said was too close to her own brand’s name.
According to the BBC, a Federal Court judge decided that clothing sold for the singer, whose birth name is Katheryn Hudson, did infringe upon the designer’s trademark with her Katy Perry clothing sold during a 2014 Australian tour and that her company would have to pay still-to-be-determined damages to Taylor, who hailed the decision as a “David vs Goliath” victory.
Taylor first began designing clothes in November 2007 when they were launched at a school charity event, Yahoo reported, and she registered her business and domain name as “Katie Perry.” The pop star didn’t release her first album under the name Katy Perry until 2008, with the hit EP “One of the Boys,” per Discogs.
The two women have battled for more than a decade over the use of their similar brand names. The singer initially tried to block Taylor from registering and trademarking the name, according to Reuters. Then in 2009, Taylor issued a message to Perry on YouTube, accusing her of stealing her name and brand, and she eventually sued the star in 2019.
On June 13, Perry appealed the Australian judge’s decision and a new court date will be set, according to Yahoo. On her website, Taylor wrote that she will continue to fight for her clothing brand and its name.
“My label is my future, my dream, my livelihood and now there is a chance my trademark could be taken away,” she wrote after the appeal was filed. “It feels like a personal attack. I have already had trolling on my accounts.”
Perry has also been inundated with comments from disgruntled fans and Taylor’s supporters, especially when the singer promoted her Katy Perry shoe collection on Instagram the day the appeal was announced.
“You’re sick in the head,” one person commented. “Any Aussie’s on here need to Google what sort of person Katy perry really is and unfollow this page and all her pages.”
Another wrote, “It’s absolutely disgusting what you have done to Australian fashion designer Katie Taylor. Shame on you. Australia no longer welcomes you.”
Many Fans Want Katy Perry to Stop Promoting Her Shoe Line
Meanwhile, many of Perry’s fans have expressed frustration over her frequent posts promoting her shoe collection, which first launched in 2017. When the line’s co-owner, Global Brands Group, filed for bankruptcy in 2021, Perry decided to buy the full rights to her collection, according to Footwear News.
She told the outlet, “I just decided to take complete ownership and level up, find great partners, develop my team and put to practice all of the education I have learned — and just be that CEO boss bitch that I want to be.”
The shoe line was rebranded and relaunched in 2022, and Perry began featuring a new video or photo shoot for new designs in the collection most Tuesdays on social media. On June 20, she gave her 201 million Instagram followers a new series of photos of Pride Month-themed shoes, for which 25 percent of net proceeds will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute for LGBTQ+ youth.
Though Perry’s clearly excited about each shoe design she debuts, many of her fans are growing weary of the frequent promotions. They think she should be recording and releasing new music instead, given that her last album was released in 2020.
One wrote on the latest post, “Unfollowing… STOP SUPPORTING THIS AGENDA!”
Another commented, “Girl stop the shoes and focus in Music!!!!!!!”
On June 21, in a People magazine interview to promote another company she co-founded, Del Soi non-alcoholic spritzers, she said she’s working on ideas for new music.
“The creativity and the ideas have never stopped flowing, even if they’re not in the public space,” she told the outlet. When I do put out music in a big way, then I want to go around the world and do a big world tour.”
In August 2022, the Instagram account for Perry’s shoe collection posted a video of her speaking about growing up in a family that did not have money and sometimes relied on food stamps. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Perry’s music, merchandise and other investments have built up her net worth to $330 million in 2023.
