Designer Alexander Wang Faces Allegations of Sexual Assault

Revered fashion designer Alexander Wang is being accused of sexual assault by several models, most of them anonymous, just days after he celebrated his 37th birthday.

The wave of allegations began on December 11, when graphic designer and model Owen Mooney responded to TikTok's popular prompt that asked, "What is your weirdest seeing a celebrity in public experience," to which he responded, "Being sexually assaulted by one counts, right?"

Mooney then described an incident in 2017 when he and a group of friends went to see the rapper Cupcake perform at a club in New York City. It was here he claims a "really famous fashion designer" started "touching me up" his leg and crotch.

Though Mooney didn't name the designer, he later confirmed in a followup video on December 13 that he was talking about Wang. "It made me freeze completely," he explained. "I just couldn't believe he was doing that to me."

Mooney's story was reposted by ShitModelManagement and Diet Prada, two Instagram accounts whose mission it is to expose malpractice in the fashion industry. In response to Mooney's video, several users messaged the accounts anonymously with additional accusations against Wang.

"Male and trans models are often overlooked in the conversations of sexual assault in the modeling industry, but not today," SMM wrote in a caption with several screenshots of user DMs. "We can't let famous people get away with sexual assault just because they're on a pedestal. They need to be held accountable just like every other abuser."

One of the anonymous accusers claimed to SMM that their straight friend did a modeling job and ended up partying with Wang after the gig, where he "kept offering my friend drinks."

They later claim that the next thing their friend remembers is being in a room with Wang and he'd taken off his pants and was "making him touch him and was trying to make him give him" oral sex. "He ended up pushing him away and walking out the door. He has been scarred ever since," they conclude.

Another anonymous accuser alleged that a friend of theirs, a trans man, was given water laced with molly (or MDMA) without consent. A different person, who claims they are bipolar, also alleged that Wang slipped them molly water, which they claim sent them to the hospital "for weeks and ruined my career."

SMM shared stories of other accusers with similar allegations, including claims of Wang forcefully demanding people to drink alcohol before allegedly assaulting them.

One anonymous accuser claimed that he roofied two of their friends in 2014. Another accuser, a trans person, alleged having their genitals exposed by Wang while under the influence of MDMA without their consent. Another accused him of raping their friend in an unspecified incident.

Mooney later gave a statement to Insider expressing that all he wants is for stories of victims to be told.

"With everything that has come to light, I want the focus to be on the many allegations pouring in after I shared my story," he told the outlet. "Although what happened to me was unacceptable, the stories being told by other victims is the reason why I have gone public."

Additional accusations were collected by SMM and shared in a growing Twitter thread:

Out has been unable to verify the identities of these accusers to examine their claims. A request for a comment from Wang's representatives has gone unanswered at the time this story was published.

It should also be noted that accusations against Wang aren't entirely new.

Last year, rapper Azealia Banks highlighted accusations of sexual assaults from trans women against Wang by sharing a screenshot of an alleged victim who claimed that Wang and interior designer Ryan Korban attacked her.

The victim claimed that upon sharing her story on Facebook, a gay man later alleged that Wang raped him.

Since the recent allegations surfaced, Model Alliance, one of the few policy groups in the United States that has championed legislation to protect the safety of models, spoke out in support of the victims.

"We at the Model Alliance stand in solidarity with those who have shared accusations of sexual abuse by Alexander Wang," a post from Model Alliance reads. "Let's be clear: The fashion industry's lack of transparency and accountability leaves all models vulnerable to abuse, regardless of their sex and gender identity."

The post added, "That's why we're championing for the RESPECT Program, which would provide a proper complain mechanism for models to safely report misconduct, professional investigations, and real consequences for those who abuse their power. Our goal is to work toward prevention. You can learn more about the program at programforrespect.org/learn."