“Vogue” Publisher Suing Parody Dog Fashion Magazine “Dogue”

Charlotte PhillippThu, March 19, 2026 at 7:29 PM UTC

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The most recent covers of 'Vogue' and 'Dogue.'Credit: Vogue; Dogue -

The dog-centric fashion magazine Dogue is facing a lawsuit from the publisher of Vogue

Condé Nast is alleging that the magazine uses Vogue images without permission and that the publication is confusing to customers

Olga Portnaya, the creator and editor in chief of Dogue, said that she hopes to fight the lawsuit on behalf of independent artists

An independent, dog-centric fashion magazine is facing a lawsuit from the publisher of Vogue, which alleges that it's being .

According to CBS News and the New York Times, publisher Condé Nast filed a lawsuit in federal court in December 2025 arguing that Dogue — a Los Angeles-based magazine specializing in canine fashion — had infringed on its trademark for Vogue.

Lawyers for the publisher — which also owns publications including Vanity Fair, GQ and the New Yorker — argued in their complaint, which was obtained by the Times, that the dog magazine's logo was "obviously intended" to confuse readers by suggesting a relationship between the two publications and was "likely to damage Condé Nast irreparably."

Olga Portnaya, the creator and editor in chief of Dogue, told the Times that she believes the lawsuit is part of a bigger issue impacting independent artists. "Art and culture have always evolved through reinterpretation and dialogue," Portnaya said in an interview published on Tuesday, March 17. "For me, this is a larger fight: I'm not just fighting for my own work and our community, but for other independent creators."

In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, Portnaya added that she is fighting the suit because she wants "to protect creative independent work and ensure that independent creators like me are not pushed aside when larger entities decide to adopt their successful ideas. Creative work deserves to be respected regardless of financial backing."

A recent cover of 'Dogue' magazineCredit: Dogue

The editor-in-chief, 41, first started the magazine on Instagram as part of a 2019 digital project called "Coverdogs" that featured dog-centric parodies of magazine covers. Dogue — which "reflects my sense of humor as a Vogue parody and is not likely to be confused with Vogue," Portnaya says — became a print publication, with her Pomeranian, Mimi Bear, on the cover, in 2021.

According to Portnaya, the Dogue trademark was filed in 2022 and proceeded through full United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) review before being approved in 2025.

According to the Times, the print magazine, which is only sold at one newsstand in Beverly Hills, Calif., sells about 100 copies per issue. Versions of the magazine are also available online.

"Dogue is a dog fashion magazine that has always been clearly branded, independently authored, and distinct in both concept and execution," Portnaya says, adding that the magazine, which supports pet nonprofits, "celebrates dogs as the stars — not as fashion accessories — while promoting animal welfare."

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An issue seemingly emerged in August 2024, when Condé Nast released Dogue, Vogue's digital cover project dedicated to "celebri-dogs," including Demi Moore's Chihuahua Pilaf, Billie Eilish's dog Shark, Glen Powell's pup Brisket and more. The following summer, the company published a similar edition of that featured reader-submitted dogs and more celebrity pups.

In October 2025, Condé Nast sent Portnaya a cease-and-desist letter instructing her to rebrand Dogue. The company also opposed Portnaya's trademark application for her magazine, per the Times.

Lawyers for the company asked in their filing that Portnaya pay Condé Nast damages and hand over all copies of Dogue to the company "for destruction." The company also told the Times that it made several efforts to resolve the dispute with Portnaya before going to court, and alleged that she used Vogue images without permission.

A recent cover of 'Vogue' magazineCredit: Willy Vanderperre/Vogue

After entering "the dog space in 2024," Portnaya claims that Condé Nast's use of Dogue "for its own dog-related content" has "[raised] questions of reverse confusion and marketplace overlap." She adds that the publisher's "claims do not reflect the reality of how Dogue was created or how the brand has operated. Tasty Work maintains that it has prior rights in the Dogue mark in the dog fashion media space."

Representatives for Vogue and Condé Nast did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The Dogue creator has since started a GoFundMe to help pay for her legal expenses, and has garnered more than $8,000 in donations to date. "We’ve launched this campaign to help us cover our legal fees and keep DOGUE publishing for our readers. Your support means so much," the organizer of the campaign wrote.

"My client's magazine is a parody that features humorous pictures of dogs, while Vogue is a fashion magazine that features serious photographs of human models," Portnaya's lawyer, David A. Makman, told the Times. "I don't think anyone would have difficulty recognizing the difference."

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