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Former first lady Melania Trump’s memoir went on pre-sale last Friday and the cover is raising eyebrows as it appears awfully similar to that of Chanel Catwalk - a fashion tome which has been on sale for years.
The title of the book, Melania, appears in white on a plain black background on the cover. The design and font appear to be extremely close to the 2020 book by French author Patrick Mauries, The Daily Beast noted.
According to publisher Thames & Hudson, Chanel Catwalk includes every collection from the designer created by the late Karl Lagerfeld.
The Melania cover title - in capital letters in white text, centered on a plain black background - appears close to that of the Chanel book.
The former first lady previously came under fire for copycat behavior in 2016 after she appeared to have taken parts of Michelle Obama’s Democratic National Convention speech for her own appearance at the Republican National Convention.
The Independent has contacted Melania Trump’s office for comment.
“Our lives are shaped by our experiences, challenges, and achievements. For the first time, I share my journey with you, in my new memoir, Melania,” the former first lady wrote on X on August 25.
The memoir, set to be released on October 1, is described by her office as “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence.”
Critics were not so sure of the memoir’s monochrome statement.
“Imagine that the lady who was furious she didn’t get a Vogue cover as First Lady has a memoir with no photo of her on the cover like in every other memoir in history,” journalist Victoria Brownworth posted on the social media site.
“It’s a low-budget right-wing publisher, but still--couldn’t Trump have sprung for a photo cover for his 3rd wife?”
“If you were wondering who Melania’s book was going to copy from, here you go. She’s decided to rip-off Chanel,” one X user said.
“I can’t wait to read her stories about growing up as an African-American girl in Illinois,” another account holder said.
“Did Melania copy a Chanel book cover for her ‘Melania’ memoir? I don’t care really, but it’s fun to point out. Melania had no problem plagiarizing Michelle Obama’s speech, so stealing a book cover isn’t a big reach,” author David Stone added.
Trump’s memoir is being released by Skyhorse Publishing, a company that has published works from allies of former president Donald Trump like ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and lawyer Alan Dershowitz.
The company has also worked with independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who recently left the 2024 White House race, and ex-Trump fixer-turned-critic Michael Cohen.
While the former first lady hasn’t written a memoir before, she has been the subject of other books, including one written by ex-adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.
In her book Melania and Me, Wolkoff outlined her time working for, and her friendship with, Melania Trump.
Wolkoff wrote that Melania Trump often said, “Pleasing anyone else is not my priority.”
“Ever the pragmatist, she reasoned that since she had no control over people’s thoughts, why should she care what they believed,” the author and former friend added.
The July announcement of the memoir says that Melania Trump “invites readers into her world, offering an intimate portrait of a woman who has lived an extraordinary life.”
The book has been endorsed by former Trump UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who called Melania Trump a “patriotic treasure” and French First Lady Brigitte Macron, who said her former counterpart is “charming, intelligent, and very open.”
On Melania Trump’s personal website, a collector’s edition can be bought for $150, a signed copy goes for $75, and a regular copy costs $40, while the book can be bought on Amazon for $30.
