Sara Ziff Files Lawsuit Against Former Harvey Weinstein Associate Fabrizio Lombardo
Sara Ziff, former model and founder of the Model Alliance, filed a lawsuit on April 6th in the New York State Supreme Court, accusing Fabrizio Lombardo of rape. Lombardo, former head of Miramax in Italy and a close associate of Harvey Weinstein, is alleged to have assaulted Ziff in a New York City hotel in 2001 when she was 19, according to The New York Times. Ziff is suing Lombardo, as well as Weinstein, Disney, and its divisions Buena Vista and Miramax, for abuse and negligence under the Adult Survivors Act (ASA). The ASA, which was passed in May 2022, allows adult sexual assault survivors to sue their abusers no matter how long ago the abuse occurred, with a one-time, one-year look-back window. Survivors can file a civil case against their abuser and institutions until November 23, 2023. Although Ziff has played a significant role in helping others come forward about their experiences of sexual abuse and even created a helpline for survivors at the Model Alliance, this is the first time she has spoken publicly about her own experience. This is also the first time Lombardo has been accused of sexual assault in a court of law, despite his name being mentioned in the sexual harassment class action suit brought against the Weinstein Company and related entities in October 2018. Ziff expressed her feelings on the lack of accountability for abusers, stating, “I’ve always been frustrated by the fact that those people seem to escape any kind of accountability.” When the ASA was passed, she saw a “real sense of possibility that perhaps we could do something about what happened, even if it happened a very long time ago.” [NYT]
Michael Roberts Passes at Age 75
Michael Roberts, writer, editor, stylist, and photographer who served as the fashion and style director of Vanity Fair magazine and the fashion editor of The New Yorker, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 75. In 2022, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) “for services to fashion as part of the Queen’s New Year Honors.” Roberts was not only an editor, stylist, and photographer for various fashion publications, but he was also an illustrator who created several illustration books through the 1990s and 2000s. His first book, The Jungle ABC, was published in 1998 with a foreword by Iman, and his fifth book, Fashion Victims: The Catty Catalogue of Stylish Casualties, From A to Z, was published in 2011 as a “delightfully pithy, tongue-in-cheek ribbing of the industry he knew so well.” Roberts’s friends and colleagues have written tributes about his passing. Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, said, “Michael Roberts really made me see what was possible: he and André Leon Talley were two Black people at the top of the industry. I would see his stories in Tatler and think, wow, there’s a Black man who is doing it on his own terms. Michael was always very generous, kind, encouraging, and funny. And above all, so talented.” [Vogue]
L’Oréal Acquires Aesop
French cosmetics giant L’Oréal has made its largest brand acquisition ever by purchasing Australian brand Aesop for a deal valued at $2.5 billion. Aesop will now join other popular brands like Garnier and Maybelline, and it marks the biggest deal for L’Oréal since its acquisition of YSL Beauté in 2008. Cyril Chapuy, president of L’Oréal Luxe, expressed his enthusiasm for the purchase, stating, “I’ve been following Aesop for quite some time, and it’s a very unique luxury beauty brand. We truly believe this would be a fantastic addition to the L’Oréal Luxe portfolio. Its design-led brand essence, highly efficacious and sensorial products, and customer-obsessed retail philosophy differentiate Aesop on today’s beauty market.” [WWD] [CNN]
The First-Ever AI Fashion Week Is Coming to New York
The first-ever AI fashion week is coming to New York, showcasing collections from emerging AI designers. Scheduled for April 20th-21st at Soho’s Spring Studios, the event has already received over 350 submissions from designers who have until April 15th to submit their collections of 15 to 30 looks. The public will then judge the submissions via online and in-person voting, with the ten finalists advancing to round two in May. Judges, including Tiffany Godoy, Vogue Japan’s head of editorial content; Natalie Hazzout, Celine head of men’s casting; Erika Wykes-Sneyd, VP of Adidas’s Three Stripes Studio; Matthew Drinkwater, head of London College of Fashion’s Fashion Innovation Agency; and Michael Mente, Revolve CEO, and co-founder will select three winners who will receive support from AIFW’s fashion-tech incubator in partnership with Revolve. The winning collections will be physically producible and sold online through either Revolve or Fwrd, Revolve’s luxury site, depending on the garments. [Vogue Business]
Daniel Lee Collaborating With Wayne McGregor for the Royal Ballet
Burberry‘s new chief creative officer, Daniel Lee, will collaborate with director and choreographer Wayne McGregor to design costumes for his upcoming project for The Royal Ballet. McGregor, a resident choreographer at The Royal Ballet, will premiere the performance on June 9th at the Royal Opera House in London. The composition is by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, lighting design by Lucy Carter, and set design by the late Cuban-born American artist Carmen Herrera, who passed away at the age of 106 last year. McGregor expressed that “Lee is creating work of innovation, motion, and piercing beauty. With his exceptional passion for all forms of dance, he felt like a natural ally. Together, with the Burberry team, we are working on something truly special — honoring Carmen while forging our own evolutionary path.” [WWD]
The CFDA Announces Ten New Members
The Council of Fashion Designers of America has announced ten new members, including Brandon Blackwood, Colm Dillane of KidSuper, Tremaine Emory of Denim Tears and Supreme, Danielle Hirsch of Danielle Frankel, Greg Lauren, Raul Lopez of Luar, Jamie Okuma of J. Okuma, Daniel Roseberry of Maison Schiaparelli, Rio Uribe of Gypsy Sport, and Elena Velez. The new members bring the total CFDA membership to 458. Thom Browne, chairman of the CFDA said, “It’s so important for the world to see talent at the highest levels coming from America. Our newest members represent everything America has to offer… diversity… creativity… and true individual talent.” [CFDA]
Christopher Michael, Founder of What’s Contemporary Podcast, Releases New Episodes
Former chief creative officer at The Society Management, Christopher Michael, created “What’s Contemporary” in 2011 and, in 2022 turned the platform into a podcast series produced by Shayan Asadi featuring fashion insiders such as Amber Valletta, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Ferdinando Verderi, and Lucien Pagès. The most recent episodes feature Irish stylist and EIC of i-D Alastair McKimm and founder of Style Not Com Beka Gvishiani. You can listen to the podcast here.
The Art Of Collaboration: Amber Valletta And Tonne Goodman
Models.com launches a new series, The Art of Collaboration, sitting down with the two industry leaders Tonne Goodman and Amber Valletta, who discuss their careers together, the changes they’ve seen in the fashion industry over time, and the industry’s role in addressing the climate crisis.
You can watch the interview here.
Photographer Robin Galiegue on Timeless Imagery
Models.com spoke with Robin Galiegue in his first-ever interview to discuss his origins, his photographic self-education, and embracing other ways to take photographs. You can read more about him in the interview here.
Model of the Week: Hot Lister Leo Comanescu is a Bottega Veneta Muse
Models.com interviewed Hot Lister Leo Comanescu about his scouting story and filming skate videos, and running his brand Fountain. Check out the rest of the interview here.
How Luca Biggs Went From a Grocery Store to the McQueen Runway
Models.com spoke to rising model Luca Biggs about finding meaningful connections through modeling, working with industry heavyweights, and her thoughts on the fashion industry’s progress toward body inclusivity. Check out the interview here.
And don’t forget some of this week’s Dior Pre-Fall 2023 Show Mumbai BTS coverage from Kirandeep Chahal and our new TikTok series Speakers Corner, where we interview people on the streets of NYC to get their hot takes on the fashion industry.
@modelsdot Can you tell us what makes a supermodel from your generation? Let us know in the comments. #SpeakersCorner #nyc #modelsdot
@modelsdot How many luxury fashion brands can you name in under 30 seconds? 👀 let us know in the comments. #SpeakersCorner #streetinterviews
@modelsdot Continuing our #SpeakersCorner we bring you Julia who we ran into in Williamsburg, Brooklyn ✨👀#modeldot #nyc #streetinterviews
