Ashanti Responds to Allegations About Damaged Swarovski-Covered Bikini

In response to the allegations that designer Aiden Euan made against Ashanti and her team, the singer has issued the following statement:
“When my stylist pulled the beautiful crystal bathing suit that I wore in the commercial initially we were told we could purchase it. We were not informed by the designer that the suit could not get wet OR had body makeup restrictions. After seeing the BTS pictures of Ashanti all of a sudden he wanted the bathing suit back. We have written correspondence with the designer asking if we could have it cleaned before we returned it. He declined stating he had a special soap to hand wash it with and went to the media instead. He did not contact Management until Friday the week of the commercial release. He was paid within hours on Friday night. Now he has the bathing suit and the money.”
Previously: Ashanti wore a custom Swarovski crystal-embellished bikini to shoot her latest Ciroc campaign — but now, she’s under fire for reportedly trying to return the garment in horrific condition, Oh No They Didn’t reports. The bikini was created by small designer Aidan Euan who, as it seems, has been trying to get in contact with the singer and her team for some time, and to no avail.
In images that have since been removed from the designer’s Instagram, Aidan posted photos of the damaged garments, writing of his efforts to contact her team and the lack of response he claims he received. He acknowledged that he “tried the professional approach” but, with no reply, he said he was forced to take to social media. The designer added that “It is unfair for small online business owners like myself to keep quiet and stay in fear of ruining one’s reputation and losing possible ‘clients.’”

In images that have since been removed from the designer’s Instagram, Aidan posted photos of the damaged garments, writing of his efforts to contact her team and the lack of response he claims he received. He acknowledged that he “tried the professional approach” but, with no reply, he said he was forced to take to social media. The designer added that “It is unfair for small online business owners like myself to keep quiet and stay in fear of ruining one’s reputation and losing possible ‘clients.’”

Also in his post, the designer explained the craftsmanship that went into the bikini (that has also been spotted on Kim Kardashian in the past). The piece of swimwear is handmade, taking 16 hours of labor and more than 6,000 hand-placed Swarovski crystals. It retails for $700 on the designer’s website. Though the bikini was pulled as a sample for this particular shoot, it’s reportedly not in any condition to be lent to another photoshoot again, which means that the value that it once had is no longer. There is no statement from Ashanti or her team on the matter yet, but stay tuned for updates.