The Allegations Against Alexander Wang
There are few things worse in this country than coming forward and saying you have been sexually assaulted. One of those things is coming forward to say you have been assaulted by a wealthy man in power, and that you are not straight. This is the current situation for many men and transgender women who have been coming forward since December 31st, 2020 to say that they have been sexually assaulted and abused by acclaimed fashion designer, Alexander Wang. This isn’t the first time that these allegations have been made against him, but it is the first time they have gained actual traction and widespread media attention. They have often gone unnoticed and unreported for the most part but when young model Owen Mooney came forward to describe an incident with a fashion designer he had in 2017, many more came forward to ask him if it was Wang. They all knew and recognized the way it happened to Mooney and were able to say that the same things had happened to them too. Some of them came forward to say it had happened to them, others came forward to say they had witnessed Wang and his posse doing this to people at clubs or bars they worked at.
It started with a post on Oliver Mooney’s Tik Tok and Instagram accounts that were then picked up by the fashion news blog Diet Prada (@dietprada) and shared on the Instagram account. As soon as they shared their stories, more and more tips started to roll in. Before Mooney came forward, Azealia Banks, a trans female designer, brought forward allegations in 2019 that during a collaboration between her and Wang, he sexually assaulted her and even potentially drugged her. These are far from the only things that have come up about Wang sexually assaulting, drugging, groping, and harassing many different male models and transgender models and designers. Wang is a staple of New York nightlife and always runs with his posse of other high-powered New York elite, which is likely why allegations against him have never been taken seriously. It is seen all the time; someone with a lot of pull does incredibly horrible things and is never once brought to court for them. Wang has been having accusations made like this of varying degrees since 2015 (and likely before that) and people are still acting shocked that this happened yet again.
Now legally speaking none of this has been proven yet, but on this blog, we listen to victims and take what they say as fact, especially since so many assault allegations go without prosecution. I will use the term “allegedly” just in case this gets seen by anyone important, but know that I do believe all of these victims moving forward.
The screenshot above is from Oliver Mooney’s Instagram and re-published onto the Diet Prada Instagram account. This was following the Tik Tok he made that didn’t name who the designer was. These screenshots (and an Instagram story he posted) named Alexander Wang as the attacker who groped Mooney. This is what ultimately spurred the others to come forward. The account Shit Model Management (an account where models speak their truths of what has happened to them in the fashion world) also shared some stories they were being sent about the predatory behavior of Wang. Diet Prada shared them on their account but also go and read Shit Model Management to see more.
After these two accounts dropped the beginnings of the story, it was picked up by larger media outlets, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Vogue, unfortunately, dropped the ball the most. Their article talks about the allegation up top, citing the same Instagram accounts I shared with you. Then they dive into all of Wang’s accomplishments in the fashion world and all of the awards he has won. The detail the climb of his career and of the wonderful people he has worked with along the way. They did share a few good tidbits though, like the singer Florence Welch describing a “party trick” Wang does where he gives someone a glass of vodka claiming its water or lacing a glass of water with the drug Molly. Vogue also shared that the survivors of Wang are pressing charges and have hired Lisa Bloom to represent them. Below I have included a screenshot of her statement to Vogue.
In the same article, they shared multiple testimonies and statements of people who have decided they are standing by Wang through all of this and who think very highly of him. While I understand why they included them, it seems in poor taste to speak so highly of someone being accused of really horrible things. Many predators and abusers present a very great version of themselves to the world so when someone finally comes forward, their image is padded. We should expect nothing less moving forward from such a powerful man. It is also worth it to point out that he is not assaulting extremely famous and high profile people in the industry. He isn’t assaulting the celebrities he dresses or fellow famous designers, he is assaulting models who do not have nearly as much of a voice or as much pull as he does. He would of course be nice to the high-profile people to keep his business running well and also to keep his fame and clout in high standing. This is also a classic predatory move of playing on the people who are deemed “less than” and who will not be believed in the face of the abuser. By abusing newer models and younger people in the fashion industry, he secured his ability to be believed over them should anyone say anything. While I usually woudln’t think it important to include the abuser’s side of the story, I have included a screenshot of Wang’s only statement to the accusations that he posted to his Instagram.
At this point, this is all the information to be had. The story is constantly developing especially since the victims of Wang’s abuse are pressing charges and have gotten a lawyer to represent them. While I hope the justice system works in their favor, I am worried that his money, power, image, and the onslaught of other powerful people who will vouch for him will make it an uphill battle for the people he abused. I will follow up with additional posts as things develop, so make sure to follow me on all my social media (linked in the corner above) to make sure you are notified when something goes live.
While celebrities and people in power have rumors and baseless accusations made about them all the time, it is always important to listen to where they are coming from. One man came forward this time, and several more followed telling the same story before Mooney even posted the name of the person who attacked him. There was also the moment when Mooney posted a screenshot of a message someone sent him asking if it was Alexander Wang before Mooney had posted the name of his attacker. All of this needs to be taken into consideration moving forward, and hopefully, those victimized by him get justice.
Madey
Cover art by Avery Lynch
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