While media attention has increased again, Alexander Wang is currently not commenting about the sexual misconduct allegations he is facing.
Meanwhile, attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing the 11 individuals who are accusing the designer of varying degrees of sexual misconduct, said that the designer’s company is also cited in the claims.
Bloom said Wednesday another announcement is expected in the next few weeks, declining to specify if that will be a court filing. In regards to whether some of the claims against Wang and his company are being brought forward by former employees or people who were involved with company events, Bloom deferred comment until next month.
Asked if it is accurate that at least one of the individuals is making allegations of sexual assault, Bloom said, “I cannot answer that at this point.”
Three attorneys for Wang did not acknowledge media requests.
A spokeswoman for Wang at Hiltzik Strategies acknowledged multiple requests for comment Wednesday and Thursday, but declined to do so.
In an interview with WWD on Wednesday, someone familiar with the accusers’ claims alleged Wang’s sexual misconduct dates back to before 2010. The individual, who requested anonymity, also spoke of alleged specific incidents.
Earlier this week Parsons School of Design student Keaton Bullen alleged to BBC News that he was assaulted by Wang at Fishbowl, a New York City nightclub, in 2019. Bullen could not be reached for comment.
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Wang first came under fire after the site Diet Prada picked up on a post by S–t Model Management, which read, “Alexander Wang is an alleged sexual predator, many male and trans models have come out and spoken about the alleged sexual abuse that Alexander Wang has inflicted upon them. It is important to show your support to these victims by unfollowing Alexander Wang and boycotting the clothing line.”
In denying the allegations in late December in a statement shared with the media, Wang said, among other things, that he “never engaged in the atrocious behavior described” and would never conduct himself in the manner that’s been alleged. Less than a week later, via Instagram, he addressed “the recent, false, fabricated and mostly anonymous accusations against me. These baseless allegations were started on diabolical media by sites which repeatedly disregarded the value and importance of fact checking.”
At that time, he said, “My team is doing everything in its power to investigate these claims and I promise to remain honest and transparent throughout that process.”
One of Wang’s accusers, David Casavant, a stylist and fashion archivist, deferred comment to Bloom. As of Wednesday afternoon, 11 people were accusing Wang of sexual misconduct, according to Bloom.
After having first come under fire in December and disputing the allegations on Instagram in early January, Wang has been spotlighted by several media outlets. The reports of alleged misconduct were eclipsed after the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. However, the Wang situation resurfaced Sunday in an article in The New York Times and then was further examined in a BBC News report Tuesday. As for whether the media coverage is leading to more people coming forward with allegations, Bloom declined to comment.
The allegations include groping, kissing, sexual bullying — pants and underwear being pulled down in a club — drugging and unwanted sexual acts such as fellatio.
The Hiltzik spokeswoman declined to address those specific allegations.
The alleged incidents with Wang happened at bars, clubs, Wang after parties and after-after parties, whether that be at Up&Down, Le Bain, the Standard Hotel’s Boom Boom Room and other venues, a person familiar with the allegations said.
“It’s pretty overwhelming how it was common knowledge among club-going twentysomethings and thirtysomethings, [as well as] college-age and mostly gay community,” the source said. “From being the global creative director of Balenciaga, having a brand that is literally everywhere and being just the most lauded and celebrated [designer]. It’s scary to even have a negative thing to say about someone like that. That is why that has been an unspoken piece of common knowledge.”
Many in the fashion industry “turned a blind eye” to the designer’s alleged predatory behavior, according to the source. The source also spoke of the importance of making “power players know that they are not above the law. It hasn’t been OK ever.”
Gia Garison, one of Wang’s accusers, did not acknowledge media requests. All of the accusers are said to have signed NDAs with their legal teams.
Bloom understands the media and social media, as well as the combination of both. In late January, she posted a Daily Beast article about a lawsuit her firm filed on behalf of an unnamed model who claimed Guess knew of cofounder Paul Marciano’s alleged habitual predatory behavior and his alleged use of a “rape room.” The model alleged that Marciano raped her. Bloom posted with the link to the article, “If you have information about Paul Marciano or Guess, please contact me.”
Should any complaints cite Wang’s company, as Bloom suggested, that tactic could mirror an approach in the highly publicized case of Nygard International founder Peter Nygard, who is facing a nine-count indictment in the Southern District of New York. Dozens of women have accused the 79-year-old self-made millionaire of sexual misconduct, rape and sexual assault over the past 25 years. His companies are cited in the filing, as some of the incidents are alleged to have occurred with the knowledge and/or assistance of Nygard employees and at property owned by the company. Nygard, who was arrested in December at the request of U.S. officials, remains in a Manitoba jail awaiting an extradition hearing.
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