Fashion

Famed photographers Bruce Weber and Mario Testino accused of sexual misconduct

Time's Up

14.01.2018

By Joan Kong

Famed photographers Bruce Weber and Mario Testino accused of sexual misconduct

In a new exposé published by The New York Times, 15 male models have come forward with their sexual harassment allegations against two of the most renowned fashion photographers in the industry—Bruce Weber and Mario Testino. One of the models, Robyn Sinclair recounted how Bruce Weber would often conduct his photo shoots. “I remember him putting his fingers in my mouth, and him grabbing my privates. We never had sex or anything, but a lot of things happened. A lot of touching. A lot of molestation”. Mario Testino, on the other hand, was accused of harassing young (and often heterosexual) men during and outside of shoots. “I saw him with his hands down people’s pants at least 10 times,” said Thomas Hargreave, a shoot producer who worked with Mario Testino for over eight years, while a former assistant confessed, “he misbehaved in hotel rooms, the backs of cars and on first-class flights. Then things would go back to normal, and that made you feel gaslighted”.

 

While representatives for both Bruce Weber and Mario Testino have denied all allegations, Condé Nast—whom the photographers have been longtime contributors to—wasted no time in coming up with new codes of conduct: all fashion shoots will only feature models of aged 18 years and above; alcohol will not be allowed during shoots; photographers are not allowed to use a Conde Nast set for personal use; and all shoots that will involve nudity, simulated drug, alcohol or sexually suggestive poses will have to be approved by the subject beforehand. On top of that, its CEO Bob Sauerberg and Artistic Director Anna Wintour (who also wrote a personal response) have also released an official statement, stating “We are deeply disturbed by these accusations and take this very seriously—as previously noted in our statement regarding sexual harassment. In light of these allegations, we will not be commissioning any new work with them for the foreseeable future”.

 

More updates to follow.

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