When will this end?
Yet another big name fashion house is being sued for racial discrimination. This time, it’s major label Louis Vuitton. Oliver Koffi, a sales associate at the luxury brand’s London Selfridges store, is suing for harassment after witnessing his boss make several discriminatory remarks.
According to The Mirror, African-American employee Koffi was in the stock room packaging some shoes when he overheard his manager going on a racial rant in front of the staff. He claims his manager, who remains anonymous, stated that President Barack Obama is “a muppet” and added American people would be better off with “Ms. Piggy for president, since Muslims don’t eat pork.”
Starting to get angry? Well, that wasn’t it. The most offensive comment thus far was regarding slavery. He stated that his manager, who claimed to be joking when confronted, also said during the rant that “black people are slaves and eat dirt off the floor.”
Koffi also reveals that this isn’t the first time his boss has initiated racist conduct in the workplace. He stated a few times his boss referred to customers by their skin color. He also remembers accounts in which his manager made a few remarks about Asians and the merchandise “being shit” because they were “made in China.” All of these comments led Koffi to take a stand and sue for harassment because it created a “hostile and intimidating” work environment.
The company has investigated the incident and the manager of the store is no longer employed. A spokeswoman for Louis Vuitton stated:
“Louis Vuitton has a zero-tolerance policy to harassment of any kind. This reported sentiment is in total violation of the Louis Vuitton Ethical charter. This issue was investigated, and the manager in question no longer works within the company.”
After everything Barneys New York went through last year, you think luxury retailers would learn their lesson.
SOURCE: The Mirror | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
