Rihanna is reportedly suing UK fast fashion giant Topshop for $5 million claiming the chain is selling t-shirts bearing her image without consent.

According to The New York Post, a source told the media outlet the singer’s team had tried to negotiate with Topshop owners Arcadia Group for eight months over the rights to her image.

“The offered her $5,000 and said they don’t care,” the source said.

“Rihanna’s management asked Topshop a number of times to stop selling her image and were told, ‘We do what we want’. They buy the pictures from a photographer, but they do not pay the artist licensing fees.

“What is most offensive for Rihanna is that they basically told her, ‘Go to hell. We don’t care; we are going to continue selling you’. Topshop is now in the United States. They set up in Manhattan and Nordstrom, but they know better than to do this in the US because they would get in trouble,” the source continued.

“Even though the UK laws don’t protect the artist, she has decided to move forward and sue Topshop. She has spent almost $US1 million in litigation at this point. She says it’s the principle, and wants to make a statement about it. They are taking advantage of artists. It is just exploitation. What they are doing is wrong.”

A Topshop source said “This issue is related to a T-shirt provided to Topshop by a third-party supplier. We are aware it is the subject of litigation. [There are] public documents”.

The source added, “The amount of damages sought has not been articulated anywhere in the claimant’s document”.