Sexual Misconduct Allegations in the Fashion Industry

[Miss Dalloway]

Is funny the fact that Ryan relates that Mario Testino locked him in the room was in 1998 at the Chateau Marmot
But him working again in 2001 for Michael Kors Campaing with Carmen Kass
If I have an inconvenience with a work person and that sexual harassment happens to me, I would not work with the other time , Ryan allways are a Gay a repressed and a lier

Shame on you, it's enablers, and deluded fangirls like you who contribute to powerful men not being held accountable, and victims being shamed!!

To put your delusion in line, how about the other 12 men who came forward? All "liers", right? There will be far worse accounts of Testino's abuse coming out, and he will go down in flames as being as Harvey's, if there is any fair in the world!

Hopefully Noah Mills.etc get's a backbone, and shares his story!

 

[Miss Dalloway]

Thanks for posting this! I'm sure many knew, but because the fashion industry is such a bubble I doubt those with immense amount of power will ever follow the 'if you see something, say something' approach. That agent who sided with Ulrikke Hoyer against Ashley Brokaw, that was a rare act of bravery. I know there was most likely a whisper here and there about Testino and Weber, but would it really have been that unlikely for nobody to ever witness any transgressions? Odd.

As for the Royals, don't you find it odd that they went for Lubomirki, a Testino protege? Forewarned is forearmed! Maybe someone from the fashion community gave the palance a heads up. Considering the importance of the engagement, I doubt they'd have thought twice and dabble by hiring Testino.

People knew, agents, assistant's.etc many witnessed him acting out of order, but $$$ is king in fashion, and you don't mess with someone as powerful as Testino. Also he IS a likeable guy, super charming, and eerily agreeable like most abusers, so always got a pass. Agencies were aware, models talked among themselves, even editors! Fashion can be a very small place. I don't work in the industry, but being close to people who do, I heard stories about Mario. So if a nobody like me heard them, then industry people defo did, as well.

Let's not forget how long it took Wintour & CN to shut out T.Richardson, and even now they are not reshooting future Weber&Testino work, says so much!

I so thought that about the Royal's, and their decision to go with Lubomirski, there is no way i could believe this is a coincidence! Even the fact they refused to give a comment, condemn such actions, speaks volumes.

 

[MON]

Hopefully Noah Mills.etc get's a backbone, and shares his story!

Wait, what?? Noah???

 

[Yohji]

At the risk of sounding like I am downplaying this whole movement (which I support wholeheartedly), the Aziz Ansari one seemed like a bit of a non-story to me. It sounded more like a date that got awkward, which is just a part of normal adult life. The girl in question even showed his texts apologizing and saying he misread signals the next day after she told him he had made her uncomfortable. I feel bad for the girl, and hope it leads to more conversations about consent, but I think this one is not as cut and dry as others. Compared to these allegations against Testino and Weber, plus the ones about Spacey and Weinstein, Aziz Ansari just sounded like an awkward guy on a bad date. I don't know, I guess it just makes me nervous as I don't want these important conversations to become a witch hunt against men and undermine the actual point women are trying to make (more eloquently than I am ). I do agree that I am terrified all of my favorite entertainers will turn out to be creeps!

I have to admit I didn’t read the story in full, just some excerpts out of context. That’s good to know.

 

[MON]

Utterly disappointed with my favorite models who were all out supporting the #TimesUp #MeToo movement, and yet remain silent regarding this issue until now. Some even posted excerpts of Oprah's speech. Oh the double standard.

I hope they be reminded that silence was the greatest enabler.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

Wait, what?? Noah???

Heard there was an incident with him, and some other top male models. If true, they should share their stories now!

 

[testinofan]

I do not defend Mario Testino because he is a fan of his work, I only say that when one tells a story or event has to be consistent, one can not rely on rumors, as of today there is no proof, one is innocent until it is proven otherwise

 

[Benn98]

Still nothing from Carolina Herrera, which I find interesting!

 

[kokobombon]

I do not defend Mario Testino because he is a fan of his work, I only say that when one tells a story or event has to be consistent, one can not rely on rumors, as of today there is no proof, one is innocent until it is proven otherwise

At this point, they´re not just rumors. 13 people accused him, two men have come forward showing their faces and giving their names. With this type of cases, you can´t really have proof only the word of the people coming forward with accusations... and I rather believe a victim with nothing to gain than a worldwide famous photographer who already was rumored to be a predator.

As for why Ryan would work with Testino a second time, who knows? perhaps he needed the money. The same way you´re saying he´s a repressed gay and liar, this is all just speculation. The fact is that 13 models and former assistants accused him.

 

[dsamg]

At the risk of sounding like I am downplaying this whole movement (which I support wholeheartedly), the Aziz Ansari one seemed like a bit of a non-story to me. It sounded more like a date that got awkward, which is just a part of normal adult life. The girl in question even showed his texts apologizing and saying he misread signals the next day after she told him he had made her uncomfortable. I feel bad for the girl, and hope it leads to more conversations about consent, but I think this one is not as cut and dry as others. Compared to these allegations against Testino and Weber, plus the ones about Spacey and Weinstein, Aziz Ansari just sounded like an awkward guy on a bad date. I don't know, I guess it just makes me nervous as I don't want these important conversations to become a witch hunt against men and undermine the actual point women are trying to make (more eloquently than I am ). I do agree that I am terrified all of my favorite entertainers will turn out to be creeps!

Thank you!! To me it was also a complete non-story and I am not sure why she even told it. This was hardly predatory behaviour in any way.

 

[dsamg]

Is it at all possible that if Mario's abuse was only directed towards male models that many top female models could have been unaware of what was going on? I am very confused by the silence. Noticed Gigi still captioned her Instagram post with 'beloved Mario Testino.'

 

[MON]

one is innocent until it is proven otherwise

True, everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. However, at the time being, what becomes of these accusers? Are we to consider them as "liars" until proven otherwise? Don't we all, at the very least, owe them the benefit of the doubt?

What I don't get is how one could extend him the benefit of the doubt, and at the same time lambaste the accusers, brand them as liars, and cast doubt as to their credibility at the very first instance. To hold him accountable there indeed should be proof. But don't we also need proof before we could call these accusers as liars, inconsistent, and downplay their accusations as mere rumors? The double standard is deafening. Shouldn't the presumption of innocence, insofar as the court of public opinion is concerned, apply to both parties?

 

[fashionista-ta]

Hm, I don't think it has anything to do with being gay. That's almost like saying every powerful gay men couldn't keep his hands to himself when surrounded by beautiful men. And that is definitely not true.

It most certainly does not ... if that were the case, then the women of #MeToo would be complaining about other women ... which they are not. This is about abuse of power, not about orientation.

 

[fashionista-ta]

True, everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. However, at the time being, what becomes of these accusers? Are we to consider them as "liars" until proven otherwise? Don't we all, at the very least, owe them the benefit of the doubt?

What I don't get is how one could extend him the benefit of the doubt, and at the same time lambaste the accusers, brand them as liars, and cast doubt as to their credibility at the very first instance. To hold him accountable there indeed should be proof. But don't we also need proof before we could call these accusers as liars, inconsistent, and downplay their accusations as mere rumors? The double standard is deafening. Shouldn't the presumption of innocence, insofar as the court of public opinion is concerned, apply to both parties?

 

[Lola701]

At the risk of sounding like I am downplaying this whole movement (which I support wholeheartedly), the Aziz Ansari one seemed like a bit of a non-story to me. It sounded more like a date that got awkward, which is just a part of normal adult life. The girl in question even showed his texts apologizing and saying he misread signals the next day after she told him he had made her uncomfortable. I feel bad for the girl, and hope it leads to more conversations about consent, but I think this one is not as cut and dry as others. Compared to these allegations against Testino and Weber, plus the ones about Spacey and Weinstein, Aziz Ansari just sounded like an awkward guy on a bad date. I don't know, I guess it just makes me nervous as I don't want these important conversations to become a witch hunt against men and undermine the actual point women are trying to make (more eloquently than I am ). I do agree that I am terrified all of my favorite entertainers will turn out to be creeps!

Aziz's story sounded like a stretch and what i dont want is to see that story put alongside the more serious ones because this kind of story can discredit everything that has been done for now.

 

[rubydon]

Aziz's story sounded like a stretch and what i dont want is to see that story put alongside the more serious ones because this kind of story can discredit everything that has been done for now.

I agree completely. I was disappointed that the story was published, but from the feedback here so far, there are people out there who are able to make the distinction and not cast him in the same bucket as some of the other people who are being called out.

 

[Benn98]

Is it at all possible that if Mario's abuse was only directed towards male models that many top female models could have been unaware of what was going on? I am very confused by the silence. Noticed Gigi still captioned her Instagram post with 'beloved Mario Testino.'

Apparently he had a thing for the straight ones!
Someone once posted a male model confessional on here and from what I gathered there is actually very little interaction between them and female models in general, especially on shoots. Except couples like Kiki and Jonas. But these two wouldn't see anything anyway since their tongues are permanently stuck down each other's throats.
The majority of men's bookings would be for campaigns and men's titles/indies where they are often solo anyway. But Testino is probably the photographer who accesorised his shoots with semi-naked Adonis type models more than most. Actually not the other way around. So the way I see it female models probably being the stars of the story probably went, did their thing, and left. I doubt most girls actually saw anything, but I'm pretty convinced they may have heard something. Especially his frequent collaborators (Kate, Gisele, Lara.)

Pretty surprised at Gigi, who I never cared for, but constantly style herself as this 'woke' SJW. *** Edited. ***

 

[Miss Dalloway]

^ I am really not surprised by the silence of some top people, from Carolina to Gigi, Testino has been protected by the Fashion elite for, almost, 3 decades!

Also did you guys read the story that Cory Bond shared? Testino didn't even care his WIFE was there, and shoved his hand down his pants as soon as they happened to be alone. "Everyone does it", he said!!

 

[Benn98]

^ I am really not surprised by the silence of some top people, from Carolina to Gigi, Testino has been protected by the Fashion elite for, almost, 3 decades!

Also did you guys read the story that Cory Bond shared? Testino didn't even care his WIFE was there, and shoved his hand down his pants as soon as they happened to be alone. "Everyone does it", he said!!

Ugh, this story for me was the worst. Not so much the actual act, but I can just picture awkward stage when someone you're not into in any form of shape thrust themselves onto you, the 2nd hand embarrassment when Bond rebuffed him.

Maybe some of those who didn't know are still in shock? People such as Alexandra, Lucinda etc. When you look at Testino's career, the endless special editions he did, then it's quite tragic how it ended (trust me, there's no way for him to survive this.) And while I want to feel sorry for him I cannot because the art and artist are inexplicably linked.

So, so far three of the photographers accused of sexual assualt just so happens to specialise in sexually charged imagery? If I were Matthias Vriens-McGrath I'd be concerned right about now......

 

[ThatDudeOverTher]

I am shocked that some names haven't been published about and I know they're probably shaking in their boots.

A Goliath story rings a bell!