Israeli fashion designer Oriya Azran posted a photo on Wednesday evening showing Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli wearing one of her dresses as part of a fashion shoot created for Refaeli's skincare brand Livelle. One of the images uploaded to Azran's Instagram displays the Israeli supermodel against what appears to be a fake Vogue cover backdrop.
The apparently fabricated Vogue cover featuring Bar Refaeli may seem harmless, but Vogue magazine has previously sued individuals who used its trademark – including rapper Drake, who faced a $4 million lawsuit.
Additionally, Vogue holds a registered trademark in Israel, giving Condé Nast, the publishing group that owns Vogue, exclusive rights to use it. Vogue is currently pursuing legal action against Gindi, an Israeli real estate company, for using the "Vogue" name in advertisements for its residential project – a move that does not favor Azran and Refaeli.
Attorney Racheli Zilberfrab, who specializes in fashion law, noted that Bar Refaeli is an international model who has previously appeared on covers of prestigious magazines worldwide, which could lead to confusion. "If I put myself in a post on a Vogue cover, I might get a letter from them or a violation report from Instagram. But there wouldn't be deception here because it's clear to everyone that it's not real. But when it's Bar Refaeli, it can look credible," Zilberfrab said.
"I'm here to remind everyone that this involves trademark infringement, deception, and potential for sanctions both from lawmakers and from Meta, which can suspend the page due to intellectual property violations," she concluded.
Bar Refaeli has previously appeared on covers for magazines including Elle, Grazia, Marie Claire, L'Officiel, Cosmopolitan, and even GQ – another magazine from Condé Nast, the group that also owns Vogue.
