British Marchesa designer Chapman ends marriage as Weinstein scandal escalates

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 11, 2017

The Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal continues to impact the fashion sector with Weinstein’s British fashion designer wife Georgina Chapman announcing she is leaving him.

Chapman, co-founder of the Marchesa label said Tuesday evening: “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions.”

Chapman is under considerable pressure in her business at present with the label embracing all-things romantic and showing at Bridal Week in the past few days, as well as having unveiled its main SS18 collection less than a month ago at New York Fashion Week.

She married the Hollywood producer a decade ago and has two children with him. As well as her main statement, she also told People magazine yesterday: “I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time.”

Chapman founded Marchesa with partner Keren Craig in 2004, the same year she met Weinstein.

She had originally supported her husband with Weinstein earlier saying they had spoken “at length” about the allegations and “she stands 100% behind me."

While Weinstein had originally denied the allegations being made against him, an avalanche of new claims and a line-up of Hollywood luminaries condemning his actions led to his sacking from the studio he co-founded and which is named after him. However, US newspapers have quoted his attorneys saying that “any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein”.

The news of the marriage split comes as another of fashion’s big names, Donna Karan, has been heavily criticised for seeming to suggest that women contribute to their own harassment. She said: "I also think how do we display ourselves? How do we present ourselves as women? What are we asking? Are we asking for it by presenting all the sensuality and all the sexuality?”

She later apologised, saying the off-the-cuff comments while she was walking the red carpet were "not representative of how I feel or what I believe.” However. calls to boycott any products linked to her have continued.