Alexander Wang Served with 50 Million Dollar Lawsuit Over Sweatshop

[FelipeV]

Alexander Wang (as if he were the directly responsible) is not the only one who exploits his employees. Many brands do too, especially the low cost ones.

 

[leyla m.]

very sad if true but unfortunately it still happens in a lot of places!!
problem is that designers often dont deal with all the details themselves so yes if true he is to blame but not the only one and certainly not the first one!
forget wang, just go to chinatown and check out what happens in those "apartments" ... exploitation galore and sure its illegal and most of the time the workers dont have much choice but you DO have a choice NOT to accept the work and/or not to stick with it if you know or hear you employer will overwork you and/or not pay you enough!
come on , specially in the US! if you are a legal resident, go claim legal work!
no?

 

[Scott]

^completely agree with you leyla

you know one would think after all these years of so many allegations of sweatshop conditions,designers have become more cognizant this particular facet of their business. and with these situations becoming more easily uncovered(and many workers,thankfully,aren't as uneasy or have less fear to speak out than they did a decade ago),designers and companies alike,simply cannot afford to be that ignorant and turn a blind eye any longer.

 

[sidda]

Are 50 million $ realistic in US jurisdiction? Because his company does only make revenue of 25 million a year.

When looking for a settlement, most times the starting off number will be ridiculously high so by the time bargaining is over the client still gets a sizable sum. Also though, they are most likely suing his backers as well, not just Alexander Wang.

 

[KKnardi]

You guys need to calm down. You heard one side of the story and to me it sounds a little sensationalized. Let's wait and see if more information comes out before we all 'burn him at the altar.'

I agree, there must be some truth in this but I think it's sensationalized... as almost everything in our society.

 

[tctra]

these people are probably illegal citizens, otherwise, who would work those hours on american soil??

 

[Squizree]

I know this kinda thing is not to be taken lightly, but how do we know that any of these workers are actually telling the truth? How do we know they're not just out for a few bucks? Why should we believe them any more than Wang? I don't like Alexander Wang but the media loves to exaggerate things like this and make any form of authority look like sh!t.

 

[barbiestolemyDVN]

^ Yes, let's wait for the other side of the story before we start condemning Wang.

 

[AD122915]

these employees are lucky to be in America where they can defend their human rights... if they were in China, they would work the same for a dollar a day.... its nice to point out this controversy but such enslaving things are still happening around the world and nobody thinks about it when buying that fake purse or shoes... however, world politics is not the matter of this site..
back to the topic... from first-hand infos of my friends working at some Milan fashion houses, the practics of some houses over there are horrible with a very hostile environment... i joked whether its like Devil wears Prada. they were like: "Devil wears Prada is a fairy tale, its just a movie and in real life is much much worse." so i was like O_O they were very negative about working there
the worst thing is when you are an intern... my other friend who worked at French houses said they treat you like sh*t... they dont even talk to you or say hi... you mean absolutely nothing to them... All they care is their own azz and the desinger so that they can meet celebrities and so on...

 

[educo]

very sad if true but unfortunately it still happens in a lot of places!!
problem is that designers often dont deal with all the details themselves so yes if true he is to blame but not the only one and certainly not the first one!
forget wang, just go to chinatown and check out what happens in those "apartments" ... exploitation galore and sure its illegal and most of the time the workers dont have much choice but you DO have a choice NOT to accept the work and/or not to stick with it if you know or hear you employer will overwork you and/or not pay you enough!
come on , specially in the US! if you are a legal resident, go claim legal work!
no?

Who knows if they are even legal to work? I've worked in factories in Queens and trust me the majority of them are not legal to work. So, where are they gonna go for their job if even qualified legal US citizens can't find work?

And you never really know if your employer is going to overwork you or whatever. They will sugarcoat it until you get dependent on them and then they change. It happens in all industries, not just in fashion. It's just that in fashion, it's almost accepted that you'll be exploited because you "have to pay your dues".

Who knows how this company is structured in terms of their operations here in NYC.

 

[Wenxin]

Unsurprisingly, Alexander Wang Officially Denies Sweatshop Charges
By Charlotte Cowles


Even the juiciest of fashion-related lawsuits have a way of getting dragged out for so long that you wind up either forgetting or not caring about them anymore. Such will probably be the case with the class-action suit filed against Alexander Wang, Inc. in March by two former employees, both of whom claimed that Wang violated labor laws by failing to provide proper compensation, denying them bathroom breaks, and firing them when they complained about unfair treatment. After some initial lawyer-shuffling on the plaintiffs' part, the lawsuit is moving along now, and Wang's lawyers filed court papers on Monday denying the charges.

As you may recall, the lawsuit has two plaintiffs, Wenyu Lu and Flo Durante (although the spelling of the latter plaintiff's surname has been the subject of some dispute), both of whom formerly worked at Wang's factory at 386 Broadway in Chinatown. Lu alleges that he was forced to work fifteen-hour days without breaks, sustained work-related injuries that resulted in his hospitalization, and then was yelled at and fired when he requested better working conditions. (Back in March, a spokesperson for Wang told WWD that Lu had been fired for "serious harassment issues" — i.e., Lu had been the bully, not his supervisors.) It should come as no surprise that Wang officially denied the charges, and on Monday, his lawyers released court documents saying that all the accusations are bunk. Some excerpts, courtesy of WWD:

[The defendants at Alexander Wang Inc.] has complied with all applicable wage and hour and leave laws, and there is no basis whatsoever for plaintiffs’ frivolous and entirely unsupportable accusations that defendants have harassed them or discriminated against them on the basis of their race, or on any other protected basis ...

[The plaintiffs are] two disgruntled former employees with axes to grind ... who have mischaracterized their former workplace as a hovel, while attempting to portray defendants as 'sweatshop owners.'

[Lu and Durante were] properly paid all wages owed ... provided with regular and multiple breaks during their work time ... [and] eligible for and provided with paid vacation, paid sick days, paid holidays, paid personal days, medical and dental insurance and other benefits.

Moreover, Wang is standing by earlier statements that the so-called "sweatshop" is actually a lofty space with lots of light and nice, high ceilings — you know, the kind of place where anybody would be overjoyed to stitch together fancy mesh shorts in between lengthy bathroom breaks, dentist appointments, and paid holidays. Heck, they probably get summer Fridays too. Anyway, this case will probably lag around for a while, since it sounds like Wang has no intention of settling.

nymag

 

[dsamg]

I wonder what ever happened with this. I never bought a Wang bag again after this came out so I am very curious.

 

[thejarc]

It's been settled.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/alexander-wang-lawsuit-dismissed_n_1778059.html

 

[KKnardi]

^omg, I just wonder how much money they must've paid to settle.

 

[arlekindearrabal]

Probably not much.

The case was dismissed (though the reasons are not given on any articles I've read about it), and the plaintiffs also agreed not to appeal, so I guess they gave just enough for them not to go to the press and try to create even more bad PR for the brand.