Sexual Misconduct Allegations in the Fashion Industry

[Lola701]

Karl Templer Responds to Model Allegations in Open Letter

The stylist categorically denies "ever acting with any wrongful intent" and says more than 10 people would witness his interactions with models.
By Karl Templer on February 19, 2018

Last week, I was mentioned in a Boston Globe investigation into the sexual exploitation of models in the fashion industry. This industry, like others, is far from perfect. I fully support the “#Me Too” movement in its determination to shine a light on bad behavior and to call out any man using his power and position to take advantage of those with whom they work. But I also believe that anyone accused of that sort of inappropriate behavior deserves the right to be heard — and that transparency and justice must apply to the accused as well as the accusers.

If I’ve ever inadvertently treated a model disrespectfully or without due care on a job, I’m truly sorry. My work as a stylist includes adjusting clothes on a model. If I have ever made adjustments too quickly or brusquely, and my conduct was misunderstood, then I sincerely apologize. But I categorically deny ever acting with any wrongful intent. That suggestion is untrue. Over nearly 30 years, working with thousands of models, always in public settings, I have never engaged in (and it has never before been suggested that I have engaged in) inappropriate behavior of any kind with models. A stylist’s movement of clothes multiple times — over three decades and possibly tens of thousands of interactions — is not the same as sexual predation or sexual harassment or touching with the intent of self-gratification.

The Boston Globe reports that three models, speaking anonymously, have alleged that I yanked at a model’s underwear and shorts, touched a model’s crotch and touched a model’s breast, all while adjusting clothes for a picture, and that this “crossed the line of professionalism.”

It’s impossible for me to defend myself as I’ve been given no information to which I can respond. I understand the Globe’s policy but, in this matter, how can I prove myself when I have been refused dates (even approximate years) or locations, which would have given me the chance to offer other witnesses to give their perspective? I haven’t been told whether this was supposed to have happened 25 years ago or 10 or five or last year. That makes it almost impossible for me to clear my name, as I find myself judged and publicly shamed.

Interactions such as the ones alleged would have been observed by at least 10 people, closely scrutinizing every move: the photographer instructing on adjustments that they would like made to clothes; a makeup person who would be less than a couple of feet away making adjustments to body makeup the minute that any clothing is moved, even by a millimeter; the hairstylist would be present; the photographer’s assistants who would be adjusting lighting; assorted production people, and the art director. All of these people watch every detail of the shot being set up. It’s their job to do that; they’re not in the background. There would also be my team, which is made up of at least three to four women, standing within a few feet of me and the model. In fact, I made it a practice, of my own volition, over a decade ago, to have only my female team members dress models in the changing area, the only private area on set. I work on large-scale, elaborate sets, never in small, private environments. With the exception of my team, none of these individuals are hired by me, and I am not the ultimate decision maker on who is booked nor which model is chosen.

Over the past couple of days, since the Boston Globe story appeared, I’ve been overwhelmed with messages of support from countless people who have worked with me for many years, on multiple occasions and have personal knowledge and experience of how I work: models, clients, photographers, agents, hair and makeup artists, who all say that I would never act unprofessionally, that the person described in these stories bears no resemblance to the reality, that I show deep respect for models, and that the allegations are implausible given the realities of large-scale shoots.

I don’t want to come across as a complainer. I love my job. I love fashion. I’m proud of my work, and I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to work with many of my heroes. Unfortunately there are unscrupulous individuals in our industry who wrongfully exploit their position of power, as there are in many industries. Those people deserve to be exposed, to face justice and to be prevented from working.

But I am not one of them. I do believe that it’s right and proper that everyone should be held to account for their behavior, in every walk of life. I believe passionately that models should all be treated with the utmost respect, as should any woman or any person in the workplace. I accept being part of an industry that can sometimes treat models as a commodity and that’s wrong. All of us who work in fashion have a duty of care to address this. I am determined to clear my name. I want only the opportunity to be heard and to counter allegations that I — and the hundreds of individuals who’ve worked with me — know to be implausible and untrue.

wwd

 

[June]

Paul is a known creep, but harrassing someone that publicly, and with such agression really makes me sick!

Super dissappointed that Ellen said she doesn't remember the incident, please! There can't be change without everoyne going on record, and having these *******s accountable.

Also shocked more Testino victims didn't come forward, it's not as easy as it seems, some of these men are very much protected!

I agree with you on Ellen and really don't understand it but nevertheless I am very glad that she and Yu Tsai reacted the way they did way back when the harrassment took place. They probably have prevented worse and that required some courage. If only Ellen had that courage to back up Kate now, too.

 

[Benn98]

Paul is a known creep, but harrassing someone that publicly, and with such agression really makes me sick!

Super disappointed that Ellen said she doesn't remember the incident, please! There can't be change without everoyne going on record, and having these *******s accountable.

I'm more amazed at how docile Yu Tsai seemed throughout all this mess! What a terrible excuse for a man! Was he that desperate for a job that he had the guts to sit through something so immoral? One more off my list!

Ellen is also talking rubbish. She probably just wants to stay out of the situation because while Guess will sack Paul, they'll keep score with the ones who went against the brand as well.

There are some horrible stories out there regarding Marciano's treatment of Anna Nicole Smith. Very glad to be living in an era where that kind of behavior is no longer tolerated.

One can only imagine the extent of abuse she endured. A woman with her background, so eager to get to the top at any cost.

 

[nastassia]

I find it surprising to see so few reactions from designers and famous models regarding these "revelations". Looks like the Fashion Industry is having a hard time looking at itself in the mirror...
I'm surprised that models like Karen Elson, Liya, Natalia, Doutzen, Karlie etc. have been completely mute on the subject so far (unless I've missed something).

 

[sixtdaily]

Andreea Diaconu last week in the Porter Edit

Her experiences are, sadly, not unique. The fashion world is one of many industries facing up to the reality and legacy of years of unacceptable conduct. “There have definitely been situations with photographers where I’ve been uncomfortable,” says Diaconu. “Where photographers are like, ‘Oh, just take your top off, it’s going to make it a better picture.’ You think: What? We’re taking a portrait and you want me to take my underwear off? No. And then you get bullied into it.” She capitulated once, for a prestigious magazine – her topless image made the cover. “I hid my head inside my pillow for 20 months afterwards,” she says, putting her face in her hands, embarrassed even now. “I don’t want to do it again. That’s definitely something that people need to respect: no just means no.”

She also recalls an encounter, when she was 14, alone in a car in Japan with a man she didn’t know. Driving her to castings, he began describing his penis to her. “In that environment, you don’t speak the language, nobody speaks your language, there’s only this one person that drives you around, and then that person turns out to be a creep,” she says. “I think I’m quite resilient, but there definitely needs to be regulations to help girls who maybe don’t have the confidence that I had.”

net-a-porter

 

[Benn98]

Good God, that's the VP cover! I'm convinced it is, a summer issue, I think. And then I think Ben Hassett did another shoot with her for VP again. A beauty story by Celia Azoulay where her boobs got as much focus as the eye shadow which she wore. I happen to recall gushing over the shots, which now.....

 

[nastassia]

If the cover she is referring to is actually the Vogue Paris one (June/July 2013), it was shot by Mario Sorrenti.

 

[ThatDudeOverTher]

I feel so bad for Karl Templer because I don't know him to behave that way, and yet, you can't diminish someone else's experience just because you only know someone to be good.

I'm curious if the allegations against him are sexual misconduct in nature, or if it has more to do with maybe mishandling a model's body and treating it as a prop/product. The latter might be more believable.

All so sad really...

 

[Deleted member 141523]

I hope the accusation against Karl is a misunderstood. It could happen, but not in most cases. Is so hard when you admire the work of these people. I don't know what to think, but I'm with the victims. And we are victims too of so many lies.

 

[Deleted member 130879]

If the cover she is referring to is actually the Vogue Paris one (June/July 2013), it was shot by Mario Sorrenti.

Could it be? That's an implied shoot, her nipples are hidden. Is that the only nude cover she had?

 

[Benn98]

Could it be? That's an implied shoot, her nipples are hidden. Is that the only nude cover she had?

It's the only one which matches the 'prestigious' description, and I actually cannot recall another nude cover she did.....

 

[sixtdaily]

Could it be? That's an implied shoot, her nipples are hidden. Is that the only nude cover she had?

On the cover yes, but not inside the editorial...

 

[modela]

The vogue paris cover is tame compared to her editorial.I find it odd that she would be suprised about the cover.

http://into-the-fashion.com/27308/andreea-diaconu-for-vogue-paris/

source into-the-fashion.com

 

[Deleted member 130879]

After checking the editorial, I'm even more confused. The cover is indeed "nothing" compared to some of the pictures inside. Why would anyone hide in shame from an implied shoot when you have frontal nudity inside? And this is not like Sara Sampaio's case, this was not an "accident" that showed a bit of the nipple. She is posing bare chested with nothing to hide.

Maybe she is just saying that she did this, regretted it and now people need to understand she won't do it ever again?

 

[ellastica]

This makes me wonder when nudity or topless images abound in industry giants portfolios (Templer included). Is it normally the photographer's idea? One can only take so much credit or do so much styling when there's no clothes or the model is topless.


Big or small shoot? So what? Silent, enabling witnesses... isn't that what's perpetuated this whole ugly insidious cultural dirty secret?

I work on large-scale, elaborate sets, never in small, private environments.

Have people forgotten this nearly decade old documentary by Sara Ziff? I remember seeing her smiling face in the pages of seventeen magazine in the mid 90s but never realizing at what cost and the magnitude of abuse til I saw her brave film account when it came out.

Sara Ziff's Picture Me Documentary Uncovers Sexual Assault in the Modeling World

June 8, 2009 by POPSUGAR Fashion News


>> Over the course of five years, Sara Ziff snuck her ex-boyfriend Ole Schell into fashion shows, shoots, and parties so that he could film "without other people realizing it." Sometimes he got thrown out, but they were able to collection hundreds of hours of footage along the way, which they edited down to produce Ziff's documentary, Picture Me, which exposes the dirty underbelly of modeling.

In it, the stories are hardly pretty. Ziff told the Guardian about a 16-year-old model who complained to her agency when a 45-year-old photographer made a pass at her: "Her agency said she should have slept with him." She captures another model talking about how weight is approached: "In castings, people have slapped my thigh, and I'm not in any sense overweight, I never have been. I've been the same weight for a long time, but they'll slap your butt and be like 'Oooh, fat' in Italian or in French. 'It's too big here.'"

"People touch you all the time." »

Ziff, who started modeling at 14 and surpassed her father's income by the time she was 20, relates a story about her third casting ever:

We had to go in one by one. The photographer said he wanted to see me without my shirt on. Then he told me that it was still hard to imagine me for the story so could I take my trousers off. I was standing there in a pair of Mickey Mouse knickers and a sports bra. I didn't even have breasts yet. 'We might need to see you without your bra,' he told me. It was like he was a shark circling me, walking around and around, looking me up and down without saying anything. I did what he told me to. I was just eager to be liked and get the job. I didn't know any better.

Ziff filmed an interview with a model who was sexually assaulted by one of fashion's top photographers at a photoshoot in Paris, but the interview didn't make Picture Me's final cut because the day before the film's New York premiere, the 16-year-old model backed out, fearful of the repercussions. The Guardian reports the girl's experience, as told by Ziff:

She has very little experience of modelling and is unaccompanied by her agency or parents. She leaves the studio to go to the bathroom and meets the photographer — 'a very, very famous photographer, probably one of the world's top names', according to Ziff — in the hallway. He starts fiddling with her clothes. 'But you're used to this,' says Ziff. 'People touch you all the time. Your collar, or your breasts. It's not strange to be handled like that.' Then suddenly he puts his hands between her legs and sexually assaults her. 'She has no experience of boys, she hasn't even been kissed,' says Ziff. 'She was so shocked she just stood there and didn't say anything. He just looked at her and walked away and they did the rest of the shoot. And she never told anyone.'

Unfortunately, stories like these seem to be a theme among all the footage Ziff has captured. The film features an interview with another model, Sena Cech, who talks about a casting with a top photographer who asked her to take off her clothes:

She does as instructed and takes off her clothes. Then the photographer starts undressing as well. 'Baby — can you do something a little sexy,' he tells her. The photographer's assistant, who is watching, eggs her on . . . The famous photographer demands to be touched sexually. 'Sena — can you grab his **** and twist it real hard,' his assistant tells her. 'He likes it when you squeeze it real hard and twist it.' 'I did it,' she shrugs, looking into the video camera. 'But later I didn't feel good about it.'

The film is still touring the festival circuit — most recently, it picked up the audience award for Best Picture at the Milan International Film Festival. The Guardian deems it "one of the best films about the world of modelling and an honest portrayal of an industry built on artifice."

popsugar.com

 

[theBlueRider]

After checking the editorial, I'm even more confused. The cover is indeed "nothing" compared to some of the pictures inside. Why would anyone hide in shame from an implied shoot when you have frontal nudity inside? And this is not like Sara Sampaio's case, this was not an "accident" that showed a bit of the nipple. She is posing bare chested with nothing to hide.

Maybe she is just saying that she did this, regretted it and now people need to understand she won't do it ever again?

I remember when this came out. There was even production video and she seemed very psyched and into it while no one from the big crew seemed to be “forceful”...
I think it is obvious in backstage footage when a model is upset or objects on a job. Erin Heatherton at vsfs is an example.
Maybe the current environment makes models feel like they regret doing things that seemed ok at the time. Maybe it’s an element of self criticism or trying to add to the conversation.

 

[iperlchen]

About Templer, it was clear from the model's account that his touching had nothing to do with sexuality - but everything with a total disrespect for another person's body. Despite Templer's own reasoning, he definitely has a huge influence on model casting. He's present at fittings during fashion week and his notorious mood swings are even a factor that's weighed in by bookers before sending their new models for something as simple as a go see. As if his moods are a completely reasonable factor to be considered for a meeting. That's how revered he is.

With the exception of my team, none of these individuals are hired by me, and I am not the ultimate decision maker on who is booked nor which model is chosen. - false

 

[Benn98]

'It wasnt me, it was my imposter!'

Photographer David Bellemere Disputes Claims of Sexual Misconduct With Models, Maps Precautions for the Industry

He believes young models should have agents or chaperones on set just as celebrities do with publicists.

By Rosemary Feitelberg on February 19, 2018

Photographer David Bellemere repeatedly denied accusations that he forcibly kissed a Victoria’s Secret model and propositioned a Lord & Taylor one by sending a bondage image via Instagram after a shoot. But fashion and beauty clients wasted no time dropping him and hundreds of Instagrammers have been quick to condemn him, in response to The Boston Globe’s investigative article that alleged sexual misconduct by him and other well-known photographers.

Bellemere arrived for an interview looking wan in a gray Champion sweatshirt, jeans and black Doc Martens. Folding his 6-foot-3-inch frame onto a rickety chair in a Union Square coffee shop, the photographer spoke emphatically about how his career is tanking in the wake of the Spotlight team-led article in the Globe. At one point covering his tear-stained eyes, and later hauling on an electronic cigarette for reenforcement, Bellemere composed himself enough to spell out guidelines to safeguard models, photographers and the people who employ them. “I had jobs until June and they all have been postponed or suspended. They want to see what will happen. I can lose everything. It’s not like a job today. It’s like every job of my career,” he said.

“There is due process. We have something called justice here. We have been walking on it since the [beginning] of the story of humanity. We are not savages in the Middle Ages. If you have any proof, you bring the proof,” Bellemere said. “Today if a feminist says, ‘He’s guilty,’ everybody is going to believe he’s guilty.”

The French-born photographer disputed the Globe report that he propositioned Myla Dalbesio after working with her on a Lord & Taylor shoot in Paris with a bondage photo via Instagram. Bellemere said he sent an image of his artistic work to her because they had discussed the prospect of working in that sector. The photographer said such artistic work of his is the basis of a Starz TV documentary, called “Nude.”

An $80,000 job with Maybelline that was scheduled for this week is no longer happening. “They don’t bet on people — they are sure about people they are working with. They meet you three times, and the third time you meet the client himself — the president of Maybelline. They decided to work with me because they were sure about the way I work with the girls and the quality of the product that I was going to give them,” he said. “When the [Boston Globe] article showed up, straightaway this client disappeared.”

Bellemere said he never forcibly kissed Madisyn Ritland, as reported by the Globe, and claimed that Victoria’s Secret executives never explained to him or his agent why he was dropped. The article alleged that the brand’s models had complained about “inappropriate touching and kissing.” Bellemere insisted, “I’ve never abused my power or position. I never forced any model to do anything.…I always took the Victoria’s Secret girls to my editorial work to make the brand look more modern. I’ve been so corporate, proactive and working as a coach near the art director.” He said the only dust-up he had was asking the art director to tell makeup artist Danielle Priano to stop chatting with a model in order to speed things along. Bellemere said Priano’s sister, Michelle, is Victoria’s Secret director of photo production.

A Victoria’s Secret spokeswoman said, “We are a company that celebrates and serves women, so this behavior could not be more contrary to who we are. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind. We have not hesitated to investigate allegations of inappropriate behavior and to terminate employment with those accused – including freelance photographers — where appropriate. We are conducting a full third-party investigation of the allegations contained in the Boston Globe report.”

With a minimum of 20 people on set and at times 200 people, Bellemere said, “If you have to move a girl, you ask her, ‘Maybe you should move the foot here.’ You don’t force anything. I never had any trouble with a girl on set or after. We are taking 20, 30 pictures in a day. We are like a machine. The shoot has to stop at 5 or 6 o’clock to avoid any overtime pay. We are really hard about this.”

He also suggested how the power of social media is eclipsing c-suite decisions in the fashion industry. “Today people believe what they read on Instagram. Everybody can say anything about anyone. Fashion magazines and newspapers are losing attention because of that. So what do we do to get the attention back? We are showing what’s going on on Instagram. None of it makes sense. Communication and information doesn’t feel real. You can invent yourself tomorrow. You can say anything.”

In a follow-up phone call, Bellemere suggested that an alleged ongoing investigation into a man who impersonated him on Instagram, soliciting models for a fake Victoria’s Secret casting, may have been a factor. He alleged that police in Lyon, France were looking into Yann Labrosse as a suspect. Police officials in Lyon confirmed an investigation is ongoing. Representatives for Labrosse, who works as a model with Mademoiselle, could not be reached.

It has not been decided if Bellemere will take legal action in response to the Globe article. “I’m destroyed. I’m receiving messages on Instagram all day. It’s awful to wake up every morning to. They want to drop me. [They’re saying,] ‘Burn in hell.’ ‘You’re a piece of s–t.’ ‘Your career is done,’” he said. “It’s too much. I’ve given my best all my life for the industry — for all those girls…”

At 45, the twice-divorced photographer pointed to his middle-age status and said he doesn’t own anything. “They are destroying people. They are destroying lives. My [15-year-old] daughter is crying. It’s too much. I’m going to lose everything. I’m not like Patrick Demarchelier or all of those [older] guys who have a career that is finished.”

Reading from notes on his phone, Bellemere suggested writing “a law statement” that the entire industry would be part of, “because everyone is responsible, from models’ parents, to agencies, stylists, clients, models and photographers.” Making the point how many are young or have just left their families for the first time, he said agencies should board them, and educate them about drug prevention and privacy issues in dealing with social media. Models and photographers are solicited by all kinds of people on Instagram, Bellemere said. “Models have to be aware and send them to their agencies. Anybody can knock on your door and it’s an open door. All of that is to avoid the seduction game that is a trap for everyone.”

While photographers should be “responsible, respectful and professional,” Bellemere suggested a model’s agent or chaperone should be present on location, just as a celebrity has a publicist on set. Also a code of conduct should be agreed upon with each new season. To enforce that after each shoot, models and photographers would each evaluate how well-behaved both parties were by signing off on a report in their own privacy. The objective would be to “prove that all as been done under respect or without misbehavior,” Bellemere said. “This is to avoid lies and problems. We have to sit around the table and write it down together. I want this war to end between feminists and the industry. We are wasting too much talent.”

Source: WWD.com

 

[KateTheGreatest]

This makes me so sad. This thread should not even exsist, let alone be at page 22 already.

2,3 years ago I thought the industry's biggest problem being stuck in a rut and not being creative enough and seeing the same things and faces in magazines over and over again.
And here we are, with MUCH bigger issues.
The industry is at its lowest point. I just hope everyone gets their karma and models can have better conditions for work.
I am so incredibly disappointed, I don't even know what else to say.

 

[rubydon]

I don't think the industry is at its lowest point. Quite the opposite. This stuff has been going on for years, and it's now coming out into the open. That is a great step - kind of like a sudden and large-scale detoxification - though it can sometimes be ugly to witness. Already, we've seen changes made that will make the industry a better place for everyone who's a part of it.