It’s been an unforgettable year for Michael Costello. The designer shot to the fashion forefront after designing memorable red carpet looks for Beyonce and Cassie, and as the man behind the costume designing for the “On The Run” tour. But this past week has been especially unforgettable for Costello for a much different reason.
The fashion world (and the Beyhive) was appalled after a screenshot surfaced allegedly showing Costello using a racial slur towards a fellow designer who after she alleged that he stole one of her dress designs.
All the while Costello claimed he never used the racial slur and that the screenshot had been altered by a “disgruntled intern.” Now, he and his reps say they are working with Instagram to get to the bottom of it:
“I have never used, and would never use, racial slurs. The hurtful screenshot circulating is fake and does not represent my views on society, nor do I condone the use of such a terrible term. I have worked my whole life to further the cause of equality. Diversity is the very foundation that Michael Costello (the brand) was built upon. I am deeply upset and I am struggling to understand why someone would try to tarnish my reputation by creating a fake screenshot of me using a derogatory term.”
Fortunately, Instagram has been very cooperative in working with Mr. Costello to delete accounts created by the people who created the false picture and who are attempting to disseminate it,” said Neama Rahmani, Michael Costello’s attorney at West Coast Trial Lawyers. “Mr. Costello and his attorneys will continue working with Instagram and the legal system to bring these cyber bullies to justice.
According to Costello’s attorney, the screenshot could not possibly be authentic due to the “now” timestamp on the comment.
“When you post a comment on an Instagram picture, you must do it from the same screen seen in the image alleging the comment was posted (image to the left). Once you post the comment, it immediately time stamps it as “now” (circled in red) and the timer begins counting in increments, by the second, on the right hand side, noting the length of time it has been since the comment was posted, every time you refresh (you must be on the screen to type a comment to see the time stamp).
It’s all still pretty confusing, and messy to say the least, but hopefully that’s the end of that.
SOURCE: Necole Bitchie
