Ripley's Believe it Or Not issues a statement defending the 'Kardashians' star after collector Scott Fortner accuses her of causing 'irreparable' damage to the iconic gown.
- Jun 17, 2022
AceShowbiz - Kim Kardashian "did not in any way" damage Marilyn Monroe's dress. After collector Scott Fortner branded Ripley's Believe it Or Not "irresponsible" for loaning the reality TV star the iconic gown and accused her of causing "irreparable" damage to the gown, the museum has hit back.
Back in May, Kim made an appearance at Met Gala 2022 wearing the iconic gown, which was worn by Marilyn in 1962 when she sang "Happy Birthday" to then-President John F. Kennedy. Now, Ripley's insisted the dress, which the 41-year-old only wore to go up the Metropolitan Museum of Art's steps before changing into a replica, was returned in the same condition it had been handed over.
They said in a statement, "Kim Kardashian wearing the 'Happy Birthday' dress has been hotly contested, but the fact remains that she did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala."
"'From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in', noted Ripley's VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner, who was continuously with the dress the day of the Gala and during transport from Orlando to New York."
The company was also quick to highlight that "The Kardashians" star had made a charitable donation in recognition of being allowed to wear the dress. Its statement continued, "A recent social media post asked, 'Was it worth it?' Kim Kardashian did not pay Ripley's Believe It or Not! to wear the dress, nor did the company pay her."
"Rather, Kardashian made a charitable donation to two charities in the greater Orlando area on behalf of the company," the museum went on. "Ripley's Believe It or Not! will continue to exhibit the dress - in as-is condition - at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood through Fall 2022."
The company's statement came after Scott accused the organization of not "protecting and preserving" the dress properly. He said, "I do feel that it [was] irresponsible, this is not just a dress. This is a cultural icon. It's a political icon. It's a Hollywood icon."
"It's part of American history from an event that happened 60 years ago and…it should have been archived and preserved and taken care of," he continued. "I think the disappointment that I'm experiencing is Ripley has made multiple statements that they were doing everything that they could to protect and preserve the gown."
The collector, who is the curator of the "world's largest private collection of Marilyn's personal property and archives" had shown his Instagram followers that the gold sequinned number was "missing crystals" with some "left hanging by a thread" and claimed that it was now "irreparable" because the fabric is no longer available.
Alongside the post, Scott added, "So much for keeping the integrity of the dress and the preservation. Was it worth it? Without question, the damage is significant!"
