Alexander Wang is a name synonymous with high fashion, wearing celebrities from Lady Gaga’s A list to Kim Kardashian West. While Wang and his brand are pillars on fashion week runways and red carpets around the world, the 37-year-old San Francisco stylist is also known for frequenting dance floors and VIP lounges in the back of the hottest nightclubs.
It is in these locations that several accusers alleged that Wang had committed sexual acts that were not consensual with them. Earlier this month, Owen Mooney, a 26-year-old UK model, shared an explicit story on TikTok, accusing a “very famous stylist” of sexually assaulting him on the dance floor of a “crowded” nightclub in New York. York in 2017.
“I was alone at one point, and this guy next to me obviously took advantage of the fact that no one could fucking move, and he started, like, touching me. And totally like, in my leg, in my groin, as if it made me freeze completely because I was in a lot of shock, ”said Mooney in the TikTok video. “I looked to the left to see who he was, and he was a very famous stylist. Like, I just couldn’t believe he was doing this to me. It shocked me even more. “
After another TikTok user guessed in the comments that Mooney’s claims were about Wang, in a subsequent video, Mooney named Wang as the designer, saying in part: “It’s so wrong. Now, every time I see his name mentioned … it reminds me of what he did. “
Wang, through a representative, said TODAY in a statement: “In recent days, I have received unfounded and grotesquely false accusations. These allegations have been unfairly amplified by infamous social media accounts for posting undisclosed defamatory material and / or anonymous sources without no evidence or any verification of fact. ”
In the days since Mooney shared his allegations on TikTok, anonymous Instagram accounts @DietPrada and @S — ModelMgmt have shared unverified allegations of other non-consensual sexual acts involving Wang. Some share a similar theme, where the victims claim that Wang mixed his drinks with MDMA. TODAY contacted these accounts, but got no response and was unable to verify the claims.
“Seeing these lies about me being perpetuated as truths was infuriating,” continued Wang in his statement. “I have never been involved in the atrocious behavior described and I would never behave in the way it was alleged. I intend to get to the bottom of this and hold those responsible for originating these claims and disseminating them cruelly online.”
In an email interview for TODAY, Mooney said the alleged incident with Wang happened on January 21, 2017, at a party called Holy Mountain at the Slake club in New York. That night, rapper CupCakKe was scheduled to perform.
“The club was extremely busy and, after losing my friend in the crowd, I didn’t try to find him, as it was almost impossible to move,” Mooney told TODAY. “So, I was stuck in this location, but I was excited to see the performance of CupcakKe. My next memory was when I was touched up, so I realized it was for Alexander Wang. He would have seen the shock on my face, I didn’t retaliate, all I wanted to do was get out of the situation. I was able to walk away slowly and approached the stage to watch CupcakKe. “
Mooney said he saw Wang again at the end of the night. “Later that night, I was back with my group, we were dancing and, out of nowhere, Wang was pushed into me by one of his friends,” said Mooney. “I kind of ignored it, but he started to put his arms around me and lean his head against me. I felt extremely strange, I said nothing but ‘hi’, the situation was very strange, but basically I kept dancing and ignored him until we parted. “
Mooney said he never saw Wang again after that night and never submitted a police report. Mooney explained: “I know that being touched up in a club is very common, I didn’t think of taking it to the police.”
When asked if the touch could have been because the club was so crowded, Mooney said: “He took advantage of the fact that I was stuck next to him and he touched my leg and groin. … It wasn’t the case that he accidentally touched me because we were close to each other. “
Mooney told friends about the alleged incident after it happened, he said, including one named Hannah, who asked that his first name be released only because he is nervous about the amount of media this story has received. In an email to TODAY, Hannah said Mooney called her “after the night he was at the club, because he needed to tell me what happened and I was completely shocked”.
TODAY was unable to confirm whether Wang attended the Holy Mountain party on January 21, 2017. But the event was organized by a promoter known as Ladyf–, with whom Wang had a relationship. In a 2014 New York Times article, Wang said, “(Ladyf’s) parties never look like a specific scene.”
In the wake of Mooney’s and anonymous claims posted on Instagram, Wang limited comments on his personal Instagram and his fashion brand’s Instagram account. So far, none of the main figures who have been dressed by Wang have addressed the claims.
TODAY reached out to Wang’s representatives for the second time about the story Mooney told today. A spokesman for Wang declined to comment further.