Fashion designer Alexander Wang has been accused of assault and harassment
Just last week, fashion elites were showering Alexander Wang with birthday tributes. But now, social media is flooded with allegations of sexual assault against the A-list designer. Wang's wild partying is as much a part of his lifestyle as his brand — it's a mythos that has endeared him to the likes of Rihanna and the Kardashians. ("Fashion's party president," declared Vogue.) But the series of stories from his alleged victims who say they were targeted by the famous designer are a damning indication that Wang may have been using his celebrity status and events for sinister, and downright predatory, means.
Two popular Instagram accounts, Shit Model Management (SMM) and Diet Prada, compiled accusations shared across social media by people who say Wang assaulted them. The allegations are pretty harrowing, and many of them are anonymous, but a few victims have spoken out publicly.
Back on December 11, a graphic designer and model named Owen Mooney posted a TikTok responding to a popular prompt about his weirdest celebrity sighting. "Being sexually assaulted by one counts, right?" he said in the video, before detailing a 2017 encounter at a “packed” club in New York City where a stranger groped him. "It made me freeze completely," Mooney said. When he turned to face the person touching his thigh and crotch, he saw it was “a really famous fashion designer,” Mooney said. “I just couldn't believe he was doing that to me," he added.
Mooney didn’t explicitly name his attacker in that initial TikTok, but in a follow-up post on December 13, he alleged it was Wang. "There's been loads of other people that he's done that to, so in that case he needs to be exposed," Mooney said. He also called Wang a “sexual predator.”
SMM took note of Mooney’s videos and shared his tale on its Instagram story over the weekend. When other people claiming to be Wang’s victims flooded the account's DMs, SMM posted the allegations on its main feed for more than 222,000 followers to see. There’s an accusation of Wang plying men with alcohol and assaulting them. There’s also an accusation from a trans man who accepted a limo ride from the designer and was drugged with water laced with MDMA. Diet Prada picked up the story and posted even more awful allegations: of Wang’s attempts to “pants” trans models and expose their genitals; of the designer routinely groping anyone who caught his fancy at clubs. The allegations of Wang’s behavior are numerous and disturbingly consistent.
"With everything that has come to light, I want the focus to be on the many allegations pouring in after I shared my story," Mooney told Insider after the posts on SMM and Diet Prada went viral. "Although what happened to me was unacceptable, the stories being told by other victims is the reason why I have gone public."
The allegations against Wang date back to at least 2014. His behavior appears to have been somewhat of an open secret in the industry, ignored in favor of appeasing a powerful and influential fashion mogul. Some Wang loyalists have argued his accusers are merely clout-chasing liars, but with a critical mass of victims and witnesses coming forward to share their stories, the designer can only be insulated by his wealth and status for so long.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of support, call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
