Renowned fashion stylist and Interview magazine creative director Karl Templer has responded to allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct leveled against him by three anonymous female models. The report was first published last week by the Boston Globe, and included accounts of Templer “yanking their breasts, touching their crotches, or aggressively pulling down their underwear without asking them” during photo shoots.
Templer is quoted in the Globe report denying any wrongdoing. In a much lengthier statement issued yesterday, Templer again denied “wrongful intent” in the allegations against him.
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“If I’ve ever inadvertently treated a model disrespectfully or without due care on a job, I’m truly sorry,” he said in a statement published by BoF. “My work as a stylist includes adjusting clothes on a model. If I have ever made adjustments too quickly or brusquely, and my conduct was misunderstood, then I sincerely apologise. But I categorically deny ever acting with any wrongful intent.” Read the full 870-word statement here.
The Globe spoke to more than 50 models for the piece, which also included allegations against top photographers Patrick Demarchelier and David Bellemere. For fear of retribution, most of the models in the Globe report told their stories on the condition of anonymity.
Throughout his career Templer has worked with top brands including Dior, Coach, Alexander Wang and more, and has styled numerous magazine covers starring celebrities like Alicia Vikander, Blake Lively and Nicole Kidman.
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Bellemere also spoke with WWD regarding the allegations against him.
“I’ve never abused my power or position,” he said, specifically addressing the accusation of Victoria’s Secret model Madisyn Ritland, who claimed he forcibly kissed her. “I never forced any model to do anything.… I always took the Victoria’s Secret girls to my editorial work to make the brand look more modern. I’ve been so corporate, proactive and working as a coach near the art director.”
The 45-year-old photographer, who said he had already lost work due to the story, suggested more changes within the industry, including chaperones for models and post-shoot reports in which models and photographers would both sign off on each other’s behavior.
Several other powerful figures in the fashion industry, including photographers Terry Richardson and Bruce Weber, as well as Guess co-founder Paul Marciano, have been accused of sexual harassment in the wake of the #MeToo reckoning. Organizations including the CFDA and Model Alliance have worked to institute new guidelines to ensure models’ safety, while Kering and LVMH released a joint charter aiming to protect models as well.
