Prada has counter-sued a former manager who claims she was told by bosses to fire ‘old fat and ugly staff’.
The Italian fashion label’s Japanese outpost is demanding that Rina Bovrisse pay 33million Yen (£250,000) for damaging its image.
Ms Bovrisse, who oversaw 500 staff in 40 stores, launched a discrimination and harassment case against Prada Japan in April.
She claimed that in May last year, Davide Sesia, CEO of Prada Japan, asked her to ‘eliminate’ around 15 managerial staff he described as ‘old, fat, ugly, disgusting or not having the Prada look,’ following a tour of 40 stores.
Immediately after his demands, human resources notified 13 members of staff with devotional transfer orders citing only poor sales as a reason, according to Ms Bovrisse, who disclosed details of the case in a Japan Times interview.
Most of them chose to quit, she said.
Ms Bovrisse alleges that she herself was later informed that Mr Sesia wanted her to ‘change her hairstyle, to lose weight’ because he was ‘ashamed of Ms Bovrisse’s ugliness, so he doesn’t want visitors from Italy to see her’.
She later complained to Prada’s head office in Milan.
Ms Bovrisse, who is a Japanese national married to a Frenchman, has 18 years experience working in the international fashion industry.
She was placed on involuntary leave last November and launched her legal case the following month.
Ms Bovrisse claims that Mr Sesia told her she was being fired for ‘bringing negative energy to the company by reporting the harassment to Milan.’
Describing why she had launched the claim, Ms Bovrisse said: ‘The level of harassment is beyond human understanding.
‘My responsibility is to protect hard-working women and make sure their working environment is safe.’
A spokesman at Prada’s Tokyo headquarters said the firm was unable to comment.
But Marta Monaco, at the company’s Milan headquarters, said: ‘Besides underlining our serene position and our flat refusal of all the allegations put forward by Ms Bovrisse, we believe it is inappropriate to add any comment regarding this matter whilst the judgment is still pending.
‘After the court’s decision, we will be available to give full explanation about the matter.’
Tags: discrimination, Fashion and Beauty, Fashion Industry, Prada, Women in Court
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