Alexander Wang’s designs of the cool, comfortable and runway-to-club aesthetic set the foundations for his epic parties across the New York scene. His “work hard, play hard” lifestyle has been a celebration of his success, but has now become the centre of controversy. Increasingly familiar scenes among high profile industries have now trickled into the fashion sector, with a host of allegations brought to light on one of the most famed designers throughout the 2000’s. 

The New York fashion industry has been sent into a spin after a conveyer belt of allegations were anonymously submitted to @shitmodelmanagement, an Instagram account dedicated to exposing the exploitation models face within the industry. Infamous Instagram handle @dietprada seemingly joined forces with @shitmodelmanagement to then amplify these claims, with a TikTok video made by model Owen Mooney later posted to explain his claim of sexual assault by Alexander Wang in a nightclub in 2017. Mooney alleges that “I was by myself at one point and this guy next to me obviously took advantage of the fact that no one could fucking move. And he just started touching me up. Fully up my leg, in my crotch. It made me freeze completely because I was in so much shock.” The video naturally went viral and opened the floodgates for others to come forward with similar accounts, ranging from being drugged to groped at high profile parties by the designer.

Fashion student Keaton Bullen has also accused Mr Wang of unzipping his trousers and placing his hands down his pants at Fishbowl nightclub on 24th August 2019, just one of the many allegations that continue to ignite the fire. He told the BBC that he and Mr Wang had spoken about their attendance at Parsons School of Design, before inviting him to his table to share a bottle of vodka. The alleged assault occurred after Mr Wang led him to the dance floor, where he admits “I felt weirded out…and removed myself from the situation as fast as possible” after Wang supposedly said “I want to take you home with me”. Bullen held immense fears of seeking legal action and having his photo used for the purposes of the claim, due to the negativity he could face from the public.

In retaliation to the claim, one of the designer’s lawyers Paul Tweed confirmed that the allegations will be proved inaccurate once the CCTV footage from the venue was examined. It took just under a month for Wang to respond to these allegations, which was after many high profile names including Kylie Jenner to unfollow him and thousands of used designer items to be sold online by disgruntled buyers in protest. The industry has since been criticised for its “radio silence” response to claims, alluding to limited accountability shown and the #MeToo movement lacking inclusivity, as criticised by Mooney.

Wang later explained to The New York Times “over the last few days, I have been on the receiving end of baseless and grotesquely false accusations. These claims have been wrongfully amplified by social media accounts infamous for posting defamatory material from undisclosed and/or anonymous sources with zero evidence or any fact-checking whatsoever”. But in the circumstances alleged, there are difficulties in fact-checking where the scenes of these claims occurred in dark, underground nightclubs. In continuing his statement, Mr Wang announced that “seeing these lies about me being perpetuated as truths has been infuriating.I never engaged in the atrocious behaviour described and would never conduct myself in the manner that’s been alleged”.

Similar to many allegations of sexual assault, the circumstances are murky. Back in 2017, singer Florence Welch explained in a Vanity Fair video that Wang’s ‘party trick’ involved providing party guests with glasses of straight vodka disguised as water. Later in 2019, controversial rapper Azealia Banks shared anonymous accounts of Wang groping trans-women onto her Instagram account. Fashion stylist David Casavant recalls his encounter with the designer where he alleges that he pulled his pants and underwear down in a Brooklyn nightclub in 2017, a bold statement to make as one of New York’s most valued members of the fashion community. 

The difficulty with these particularly harmful allegations is due to the fashion industry being so fiercely protected, with one of New York’s most celebrated publicist’s Kelly Cutrone noting “how quiet fashion continues to be in its response to so many allegations”. High profile victim’s-rights lawyer Lisa Bloom now represents the ten men who have made formal allegations against Mr Wang, in an industry that severely lacks transparency and accountability, given that the drug fuelled parties are part of the industry “perks”. 

Alexander Wang shot to fashion fame upon launching his business in 2007, and just two years later won the Swarovski Womenswear Designer of the Year Award by the CFDA. In 2012, he became the creative director of Balenciaga and became well known for his parties coined as WangFests. As a highly celebrated designer, Mr Wang also has a legion of supporters in the wake of these allegations. Elite Management agent Heather Hughes made note that “he always treats models as human beings and celebrates who they are as people. His hard work has led to much success, yet he remains one of the kindest people in our business”.

Interestingly, Alexander Wang made rapper R.Kelly the face of his brand in 2017 despite the endless allegations of sexual misconduct piling against his name and a global boycott of his music. In a previous French Toast Sociale article, the charges are further explained in detail and include the allegations of isolating women and underage girls, while engaging in illicit sexual activity while threatening these victims as a method of control. 

From here, Alexander Wang continues to fiercely deny the claims despite alleged victims continuing to come forward. It has reignited the debate of why alleged perpetrators continue to be protected through money, power and fame, without any sufficient accountability. No doubt this will not be the last of similar allegations being made towards those in power following the #MeToo movement, with there appearing to be an incredibly grey area between work and the abuse of power.