Ripley’s Believe It or Not,
owners of the iconic Marilyn Monroe’s Happy Birthday dress, have debunked
claims that Kim Kardashian damaged the dress after wearing it to the 2022 Met
Gala.
A Marilyn Monroe collector,
Scott Fortner, had earlier claimed that there was permanent damage on the dress
which Monroe wore on the 45th birthday of John F Kennedy.
Fortner, who works to
authenticate and verify Monroe memorabilia, shared some photographs via his
Instagram page to show what appeared to be a stretched and buckled fabric as
well as missing crystals on the back of the dress.
The company has however come
out to debunk the claims, stating that the damage had been done before Kim wore
the dress.
In a statement posted on
Ripley’s website on Thursday, it was revealed that the company “is not the
first owner of this dress” as it was acquired at an auction in 2016 for the
price of $4.8 million.
“A report written on the
dress’s condition in early 2017 states, ‘a number of the seams are pulled and
worn. This is not surprising given how delicate the material is. There is
puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes,’ among other instances of damage,”
the statement read.
Amanda Joiner, Ripley’s VP of
Publishing and Licensing, who accompanied the dress to New York where the Gala
was held also said, “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.”
Kim had stirred the ire of
many when she revealed during the Gala, that she had to go through an extreme
weight loss before fitting into the dress as it could not be altered.
The company also defended its
decision to lend the dress to the reality TV star stating that the showcase
which had caused debates had also helped introduce Marilyn Monroe’s legacy to a
new generation.
“Our mission is to both
entertain and educate visitors and fans, and sparking conversations like the
discourse around Marilyn Monroe’s dress does just that.
“No matter which side of the
debate you are on, [the] historical importance of the dress has not been
negated but rather highlighted. An entirely new group of young people has now
been introduced to the legacy of Marilyn Monroe,” the statement read.
