Fashion Designer’s Horror Story
You have to read it to believe it!
Suppose you are a designer (by degree or experience). In that case, you may have fallen prey to the similar story I am going to tell you about shortly! You know, the one where you get a call to help a wealthy person develop their clothing brand only to be ripped off!
So ok, let’s go back. The designer whom this has happened to has requested to remain anonymous. However, I have permission to tell the full story and how it happened. This designer, a very good friend of mines, was contacted to help this “well to do lady” with her resort brand over a decade ago. Once the introduction was done, and details of the brand elaborated on, the designer gave the “lady” a price which they agreed on. My designer friend decided to sew all the pieces for her after she receives her deposit. It wasn’t clear if the resort collection would be a collaboration or work for pay based on how she told me the story. But she got her deposit and then got the work done.
Six completed pieces later, my designer friend met with her new client to deliver the full sewn collection and receive the balance for her work. Well, my good readers, that “lady” declared the collection was not good enough and she was not going to pay her for any of it! What?
Several months later, my designer friend discovered the same “lady” on the cover of a former lifestyle magazine by The Miami Herald called Style & Entertaining with her sewn’s garments, with no credit for her hard work. The worst part is her BS lies (excuse my French) is where she stated, “I’ve always dreamed of designing fashion since I was a little girl and I wanted to do it before I turn 40…” She went on to say in her web of lies, “I learned classic tailoring from Armani and creativity from Alaia, who also knew how to place seams on a woman to accentuate her figure and hide her flaws!”
She learned what from who? My jaw dropped when I heard the story. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to sew any fabric pieces together to call yourself a designer, that is common knowledge. But acting as if she did it all by herself… My designer friend still has that magazine spread as proof of the deception.
“Several months later, she discovered her client on the cover of a former lifestyle magazine by The Miami Herald called Style & Entertaining with her sewn’s garments, with no credit for her hard work.”
Here is the thing, as a designer myself, I never want to be credited for work that I get paid to do. But if we had an agreement and you haven’t paid your contract in full, woman! You best believe you will get sued! I asked my designer friend if she sued the lady, she said no (how nice of her). She simply sent her a letter, which I will, verbatim, type here for you guys to read:
Dear…
First of all, I want to send out my congratulations on your cover story in the Miami Herald (Style and Entertaining). I was extremely excited for you, but as I was reading the article, I was anxious to see if you would mention my name, your “Ghost Designer.” Then I realized, not only was my name not mentioned, but you also stated that you learned from the masters, Giorgio Armani and Azadi Alliyah! I have to say that I was somewhat surprised because you led me to believe that the collection was not good enough; therefore, you did not pay me the final portion of the payment that we verbally agreed on. Not only did you do well with the first collection, I see one of the designs that I did for you is still being used, as you said yourself, as the “bread and butter.” You have made it in every color and version, but you still never paid me the samples and for the grading, which you have not yet done for any of the designs. At this time, I will be sending you a bill for the first collection, which is due as soon as possible!
Sincerely,”
The designer’s name.
She lucky she got a letter! I would have sued the blonde hair out of that woman! I have had my share of disastrous stories, but not to that extent! For my designer friend to expectantly read and look for her name in that spread, tells me that maybe they did agree on a collaboration. But somehow, someone had the audacity to call it all “not good enough” only to turn around and claim all the glory of that same collection. On top of it, she was still making money with a specific design that was doing really well in different colors!
What in the royalties! lol
The moral of the story, always have everything pen-to-paper, for when all hell breaks loose, you have legitimate proof on paper, not she-say-he-say. A verbal contract is still a contract, but it is one person’s word over another. My advice to you is to get a contract going and always fight for your hard work when dealing with predators like this “lady.”
She found a good one! Boy, I tell you! I was furious for my designer friend! But at last, many years later, she can only tell her story while that “lady” is (probably still) basking in her glorified web of wealthy lies.
Until the next flabbergasting story, you all!
Lafrance.
