Alexander Wang posts Instagram statement denying accusations of sexual assault

• Alexander Wang issued a public statement denying sexual-assault claims made against him, calling the allegations "baseless" in an Instagram post shared on Monday.
• On December 28, Instagram accounts S--- Model Management (SMM) and Diet Prada respectively shared posts compiling accusations made on social media by people who say the designer sexually assaulted them.
• While some allegations were made anonymously, with Insider unable to verify the identities of the individuals, two people who publicly accused the designer of sexual assault spoke to Insider.
• Wang's Instagram post comes days after the designer's representatives shared a statement with Insider denying the allegations.

Alexander Wang has publicly denied allegations of sexual assault made against him.

On Monday, the designer shared a post addressed to the 436,000 followers on his personal Instagram account, where he called the allegations "baseless" and said his team is investigating the claims.

A post shared by Alex Wang (@alexwangny)

"I'd like to take the opportunity to connect directly with the people who have followed and supported the brand and me over the years and address the recent false, fabricated and mostly anonymous accusations against me," he wrote.

"These baseless allegations were started on social media by sites which repeatedly disregarded the value and importance of evidence or fact checking," the statement continued, seemingly referencing the popular Instagram accounts Diet Prada and S--- Model Management (SMM), which respectively shared posts on December 28 that compiled accusations made on social media by people who say the designer sexually assaulted them.

While some of the allegations included in Diet Prada and SMM's posts were made anonymously, with Insider unable to verify the identities of the individuals, Insider spoke to two people who publicly accused the designer of sexual assault.

"My team is doing everything in its power to investigate these claims and I promise to remain honest and transparent throughout that process," Wang wrote in his statement. "I am fortunate to have received an overwhelming amount of support over the last few days and am thankful to those standing by my side at this time."

The Instagram comments on the post, as well as for the Alexander Wang brand, were turned off at the time of writing.

Insider reached out to Wang's representatives on his latest statement.

According to a source close to Wang, the designer shared a memo with his employees on Monday morning hours before his statement appeared on Instagram.

"I wanted to take the time to write to you all and thank each and every one of you who have been standing by me and the brand after the difficult past few days," Wang wrote in the memo obtained by Insider. "You are my community, my priority and I am fully aware that the recent news has also affected you. I hope this note that I am sending before we post on company socials later today, helps to answer some of your questions and alleviate some concerns."

He then shared a longer version of the statement he shared on social media, according to the source, though some parts don't appear in his Instagram post.

"While I have always been active in my social life, frequently attending various industry gatherings, parties and concerts where drugs and alcohol were present- but contrary to what has been said, I have never taken advantage of others in a sexual manner or forced anything on anyone without consent," Wang wrote in the statement shared with employees. "I also have never abused my status or fame for my own benefit."

"Our team is doing everything in its power to investigate these claims and we promise to remain honest and transparent throughout that process," he continued. "We are fortunate to have received an overwhelming amount of support over the last few days and are thankful to our staff, clients and industry peers for standing by our side at this time."

Wang previously denied the allegations in a statement shared with Insider

Much of Wang's Instagram post echoes the statement he gave to Insider through his representatives on Thursday.

"Over the last few days, I have been on the receiving end of baseless and grotesquely false accusations," Wang said in the statement shared with Insider. "These claims have been wrongfully amplified by social media accounts infamous for posting defamatory material from undisclosed and/or anonymous sources with zero evidence or any fact-checking whatsoever."

"Seeing these lies about me being perpetuated as truths has been infuriating. I have never engaged in the atrocious behavior described and would never conduct myself in the manner that's been alleged," he continued.

He added that he intends "to get to the bottom of this and hold accountable whoever is responsible for originating these claims and viciously spreading them online."

Insider has spoken to 2 people who have publicly accused the designer of sexual assault

Nick Ward told Insider that at an event in 2017, the designer "swung his hand and grabbed" his crotch.

"As he was passing, he swung, squeezed me, and kept walking," Ward said, speaking of Wang, who he said was with a group of people at the time.

Owen Mooney shared his experiences on TikTok of getting "groped" by Wang at a packed New York club in 2017. Mooney said that he was attending a performance by the rapper CupcakKe when a man next to him started touching his leg and crotch.

"It made me freeze completely," Mooney says in the video, adding that he had become separated from his friends when the alleged incident took place.

Mooney didn't initially reveal Wang's identity but liked a top comment that mentioned the designer by his name. He made a follow-up video where he confirmed it was Wang.

"The previous video, the best thing to do was to not mention any names but this comment surprised me just because they actually got it right," he said, calling Wang a "sexual predator."

"There's been loads of other people that he's done that to, so in that case, he needs to be exposed," Mooney added.

"With everything that has come to light, I want the focus to be on the many allegations pouring in after I shared my story," Mooney said in a statement he shared with Insider. "Although what happened to me was unacceptable, the stories being told by other victims is the reason why I have gone public."

Wang's representatives did not comment on specific allegations reported on by Insider but denied any wrongdoing in the general statement above that was previously shared with Insider.

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