Model Kate Upton Accuses Guess Co-Founder Paul Marciano of Sexual Harassment
Model Kate Upton took to social media Wednesday to accuse Paul Marciano, co-founder of the iconic fashion brand Guess, of sexual harassment.
“It’s disappointing that such an iconic women’s brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director,” the 25-year-old Sports Illustrated swimsuit star wrote in a post to her Instagram account Wednesday.
The model captioned the post “#metoo,” effectively joining the movement that has seen hundreds of prominent individuals in Hollywood, politics, and the media accused of sexual misconduct in recent months.
A post shared by Kate Upton (@kateupton) on Jan 31, 2018 at 2:15pm PST
“He shouldn’t be allowed to use his power in the industry to sexually and emotionally harass women,” Upton added.
The model’s post did not include any specific allegations against Marciano, who co-founded Guess in 1981 with his three brothers and served as its CEO before stepping down in 2015 and remaining creative director.
It was also unclear whether Upton herself was the victim of any alleged harassment.
Kate Upton attends the AMORE cocktail reception hosted by Ricardo Rojas and Jim Mannino on the Lemon Lemon Terrace during the 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Villa AH on May 24, 2017 in Cannes, France. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Artist for Peace and Justice)
Kate Upton attends the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 26, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Fashion designer and co-founder of Guess? Inc. Paul Marciano speaks at GUESS Celebrates 35 Years with Opening of Exhibition at the FIDM Museum & Galleries at FIDM Museum & Galleries on the Park on June 5, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GUESS, Inc. )
Marciano had not yet commented publicly on the accusation as of Thursday morning.
Marciano is the latest figure in the fashion world to have been accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which was first sparked in October after decades of allegations of abuse and harassment against film producer Harvey Weinstein were reported on by the New York Times and the New Yorker.
Earlier this month, Vogue magazine cut ties with two of the most famous photographers in the fashion industry, Bruce Weber and Mario Testino, over numerous allegations of abuse against the two men by models.
In October, famed fashion and celebrity photographer Terry Richardson was reportedly blacklisted by Condé Nast — parent company of magazines including GQ, Vogue, and Vanity Fair — after previous allegations of sexual misconduct resurfaced in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum