When you’re Alexander Wang and a former employee files a suit against your company alleging sweatshop labor undertakings, we imagine there’s not a whole lot you can do except cross your fingers and hope for the best possible outcome. (And in the meantime, continue providing the rest of us super-luxe basics at an equally fast pace, obviously.)
Back in March, when Wenyu Lu filed a lawsuit against Alexander Wang Inc. accusing the company of violating New York State labour laws, Wang denied the allegations and claimed the conditions at his factory were faultless. Lu, hired by the company in 2008 as a sewer, complained of 16 hours days with no breaks in unventilated, windowless rooms, as well as unfair dismissal (We know what you’re thinking, just another day at the office, right?). The case, investigated by the Queens state court and then by the Manhattan federal court came to a close on Monday with Alexander Wang issuing an answer that denied all wrongdoing. Yes, the company does have an annual excess of $500,000 (that’s all?), but wage and leave laws all complied (phewsh!). And speaking of his workspace, it was described as a “modern, brightly lit studio with high ceilings and large windows.” (More than a step away from ‘unventilated, windowless rooms, no?)(WWD)
Photos: Via Alex Wang