Alexander Wang Denies Allegations of Running a 'Sweatshop'

Fashion designer Alexander Wang seems unable to do any wrong in the eye of his downtown-cool customers--crafting instantly buzzed-about collections season after season--but the young rising star and business-owner has hit an unseemly bump in an otherwise staggering career. According to theNew York Post, Wang is facing a $50 million lawsuit for mistreatment of employees in his New York City-factory (WWDcites the lawsuit at $450 million--chalking it up to "roughly 30" former workers "demanding $50 million for each of the suit's nine charges.") Led by Wenyu Lu, the suit states that employees "were forced to work 16 hours a day or longer--without overtime--in a suffocating, windowless, 200-square-foot room," thus breaching New York State labor laws.

But Wang is not staying mum on the matter. A spokesperson for the company told WWD, "The company takes its obligations to comply with the law very seriously, including the relevant wage and hour regulations, the payment of overtime to eligible employees, and having a safe working environment for all of our employees. We will vehemently defend any allegations to the contrary."