An artist is accusing Beyoncé of stealing his designs for some of the costumers during her Renaissance Tour.
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
Hajime Sorayama, a Japanese illustrator, is claiming that the star did not ask him for permission before allegedly using his sketches and ensembles for her recent world tour.
“Yo @beyonce ð¤ You should have asked me ‘officially’ so that I could make much better work for you as like my man @theweeknd,” The 76-year-old wrote in an Instagram post on Monday.
Alongside his caption, he posted several photos of his and Beyonce’s visuals to show the similarities between the two.
In one of the photos, the Grammy winner can be seen wearing a chrome headpiece with what looks to be wires sticking out from the side. Sorayama’s illustrations show a woman in a similar headpiece.
As of now, it’s unclear if Sorayama is pursuing any legal action against Beyoncé.
Unsurprisingly, members of Beyoncé’s loyal BeyHive were quick to pull up some reciepts, taking to Hajime’s comments section to tell him where the singer really drew inspiration.
“Like you didn’t take direct inspiration from Metropolis,” one fan wrote, referring to the 1927 film that explores similar themes.
“Metropolis, Mugler, Gaultier, and more have all done this,” another person added. “You don’t own the Android aesthetic.”
Another fan went on to point out that this is an aesthetic Beyoncé has worn in the past, as far back as 2007.
“She’s wearing Thierry Mugler based off an archive Mugler look that referenced Metropolis,” a third fan wrote. “Were you this incensed when she wore a similar headpiece in 2007 at the BET awards?”
Another said, “You and whoever made her headpiece clearly drew from the same metropolis inspo. Doesn’t make anyone a thief, certainly not Beyonce.”
