NY models call for industry regulation ahead of Met Gala
Models and fashion designers rallied outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art ahead of the Met Gala on Sunday to demand basic worker protection for models and the end of rampant exploitation in the industry.
The Model Alliance led the rally and called on New York State lawmakers to pass the Fashion Workers Act — which would bring regulation to the $1.7 trillion industry — as The Met prepares to honor the late “problematic” designer Karl Lagerfeld.
“What will undoubtedly be left unsaid about Lagerfeld, who I worked with regularly as a model, is any mention of his problematic attitudes towards women who did not fit his harmful and outdated standards,” Model Alliance founder Sara Ziff said.
“For example at the height of the ‘Me Too’ movement… he said, ‘If you don’t want your pants pulled down, join a nunnery.'”
Ziff, who was allegedly raped by an en-Miramax exec when she was just 19, said it was time for the industry to acknowledge the labor issues and abuse. She also said those in power should condemn, not celebrate, ionic figures who take advantage of employees.
The theme of this year’s Costume Institute exhibition is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. It will celebrate the iconic German designer, who worked for Chanel, Fendi, Balmain and myriad other fashion houses before his death in 2019.
Members of the Model Alliance called for New York lawmakers to pass regulations in the fashion industry. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
It comes as the Met Gala is set to honor the late iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. WireImage
The legendary designer once left Kim Kardashian in “hysterical tears” following their first photo shoot together for Harper’s Bazaar. He also called singer Adele “a little too fat.” Speaking about the Princess of Wales’s sister, Pippa Middleton, he said, “I don’t like the sister’s face. She should only show her back.”
Representatives for the Met Gala did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The fashion workers are calling for employers to ensure protection against harassment, discrimination and unsafe working conditions for models and creatives, and to be paid a fair market value with no extra fees deducted from their earnings.
They also want overtime payments after eight-hour shifts and lunch breaks to be included in standard contracts, as well as an end to auto-renewing agreements and requiring them to give up their power of attorney to their employers.
Famed designer Anna Wintour arriving at the 2022 Met Gala in New York City. GC Images
Model Alliance founder Sara Ziff speaking at Sunday’s event surrounded by models and advocates. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
Models also want to ensure they’re allowed to travel with a chaperone when working, with labor activists alleging that the talents need protection from known predators who work in the industry.
Model Rozi Levine said the passage of the Fashion Workers Act would ultimately help free talents from a vicious cycle of financial and sexual abuse that’s well-known in the world of high fashion.
“I have gone months at a time without any income despite the fact that I was consistently being booked,” Levine said. “Being forced into this financial struggle made me vulnerable mentally, emotionally, and eventually sexually.
“Financial abuse opens the gates to sexual abuse. I have been sexually exploited by designers and producers. I have been financially exploited by management companies,” she added.
Model Roberta Little talks about the abuses models suffer under the current system. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post
“And these things go hand in hand. Because financial abuse creates sexual abuse.”
The Fashion Workers Act passed the Senate Labor Committee last year and is being backed by State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblywoman Karines Reyes.
The Met Gala is scheduled for Monday, which will honor the life and work of Lagerfeld with the dress code centered around the late fashion icon. He was well-known to have attended events with black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and detachable collars.
Source: New York Post
