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| Serena Williams |
A former employee of shoe designer Gianvito Rossi has filed
a racial discrimination lawsuit with details about the designer’s opinion of
people and color and Serena Williams.
The New York Post reports Whitney Wilburn filed the suit
Friday (May 19), accusing former boss Grace Mazzilli and Rossi of racism and
ageism. The 46-year-old says she was terminated from the Manhattan-based store
in 2015 without any clear reason. In addition to allegedly being left out of
company meetings and events, she stated Rossi had a strong dislike for black
people and didn’t want them wearing her luxury shoes.
The most troubling portion of the suit are claims of racism
towards Serena Williams. Wilburn says Rossi didn’t want Williams wearing her
shoes for a Vogue shoot, but changed her mind after the representative from
Vogue directly requested the shoes for the athlete. “For instance, when the
world famous athlete Serena Williams, via her staff, asked for a discount on
her extensive purchases, Gianvito managers responded with racially disparaging comments
about Ms. Williams, which made it clear that the company did not want African
American women to wear its shoes,” the suit says. The company also offered a
discount lighted than Caucasian celebrities.
Ross reached out to Allure, denying the accusations.”Gianvito
Rossi further regrets that this former employee chose to conflate her own
claims with allegations about our relationship with Ms. Serena Williams, who we
have the honor of having as our client,” the statement reads. “Gianvito Rossi
has the pleasure of having relationships with international celebrities without
any distinction.”
Stars of color like Dasha Polanco, Cardi B and Gabourey
Sidibe have shared horror stories about luxury brands refusing to work with
them due to their skin color and size. Serena hasn’t commented on the claims
due to the fact that she’s too busy living her best life, so time will only
tell if Rossi’s business will sink into the ground.
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