On March 31st, Fashion in Progress informed Mudec (Museo delle Culture di Milano) that, with the photographic exhibition “The Creation of a DIVA – Four Decades of GUESS Images”, dedicated to the brand’s most iconic campaigns and models, held until March 3, 2025, there was an incomplete and largely inaccurate portrayal of the events. The exhibition, in fact, surprisingly did not take into account the serious issues, including recent ones, that have involved Paul Marciano, the co-founder of Guess, in the United States, particularly concerning his relationships with the brand’s models, the main focus of the exhibition.
As reported by various sources, in 2018, after the #MeToo movement led several fashion companies to review their internal policies, Paul Marciano was accused by some models of serious misconduct and sexual harassment. A special committee, appointed specifically for the case, concluded that allegations of inappropriate conduct “could, and did, arise”. Subsequently, Guess reached several settlement agreements regarding these matters, and Paul Marciano resigned from his role as Chief Executive Officer.
However, Paul Marciano was allowed to remain on the board of directors and was later reinstated as Chief Creative Officer. Shortly after, several women came forward with additional allegations of sexual harassment and assault, but despite the multiple accusations, the company continued to support its co-founder.
Therefore, despite the presence of such serious allegations, Guess, not only operated for years without an adequate corporate policy on the matter — obliging itself to implement it only recently and following specific binding agreements – but also chose not to adhere to the “RESPECT PROGRAM” proposed by the non-profit organization Model Alliance of New York.
These circumstances were not in any way reflected in the narrative presented in the exhibition at the museum, dedicated to interdisciplinary research on world cultures, where, in fact, at such a particular moment for the company, an incomplete and seriously biased portrayal was offered to visitors, fashion workers, and aspiring ones.
In pursuing its associative goal of protecting and promoting the rights of fashion
workers – considering the fundamental
importance of having an appropriate corporate policy against harassment and sexually inappropriate behavior in the workplace
— Fashion in Progress has explicitly invited Mudec to clarify its position on the matter and to formally distance itself from the conduct that has characterized the brand for several years.
