Model claims Alexander Wang groped his crotch at a crowded NYC club in 2017 – Daily Mail

One model’s claim that he was sexually assaulted by Alexander Wang at a crowded New York City club in 2017 has sparked an onslaught of allegations against the acclaimed designer. 

Owen Mooney, a model and graphic designer, came forward with his story in a pair of TikTok videos that went viral on Monday. 

In the first video Mooney alleged that he’d been ‘touched up’ by a ‘really famous designer’ while he and his friends were watching rapper CupcakKe perform at a club three years ago. He didn’t provide a name until the second video, after commenters guessed that it was Wang.  

‘I was by myself at one point and this guy next to me obviously took at advantage of the fact that no one could f**king move,’ Mooney said.  

‘And he just started touching me up. Like, fully up my leg, in my crotch. It made me freeze completely me because I was in so much shock.

‘Then I look to my left to see who it was and it was a really famous fashion designer and I just couldn’t believe that he was doing that to me.’ 

He described the incident as ‘really f**ked up’ and said he had to ‘slowly move away’ from the designer he branded a ‘sexual predator’ in his second video.

Mooney’s account was among more than a dozen included in Instagram and Twitter posts by industry watchdog Sh*t Model Management (SMM) on Monday, the majority of which were shared through screenshots of allegations sent in by anonymous users.

Some of the accusers, which included transgender men and women and cisgender men, told stories resembling Mooney’s. Others claimed that Wang drugged their drinks with MDMA without their knowledge. 

Representatives for Wang have not responded to multiple requests for comment from DailyMail.com.  

The designer, who became known for his star-studded parties following the success of his fashion label launch in 2005, declined to comment when approached by WWD and InStyle.

Mooney did not return multiple requests for comment from DailyMail.com but did release a brief statement on Monday.

‘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, according to Insider.

‘Although what happened to me was unacceptable, the stories being told by other victims is the reason why I have gone public.’

Insider also spoke with another accuser, Nick Ward, who claimed Wang “grabbed” his crotch at a DJ event in Brooklyn in 2017.

‘As he was passing, he swung, squeezed me, and kept walking,’ Ward said.

‘By the time I realized what happened, I just announced to my friend: “that guy just grabbed my d**k” and they’re all like, “that was Alexander Wang.”‘

Ward first detailed the incident in a Twitter thread on September 11, 2017, which was shared on Instagram by the fashion account Diet Prada, which boasts more than 2.3 million followers. 

Both Diet Prada and SMM urged their followers to boycott Wang’s brand in light of the allegations. 

‘Alexander Wang is an alleged sexual predator, many male models and trans models have come out and spoken about the alleged sexual abuse that Alexander Wang has inflicted upon them,’ SMM’s post read.

‘It is important to show your support to these victims by unfollowing Alexander Wang and boycotting his clothing line.’

One of the unnamed accusers who spoke to SMM claimed their friend, who is a trans man, had been riding in a limo with Wang after a party ‘a while ago’ when the designer offered him water and made sure he drank it all.

‘A few moments after, they noticed they were rolling and had been giving molly water,’ the anonymous person claimed.

‘This was a regular occurrence because a year after being told this story, I also heard other people confirm that they also got drugged on the way to any after party.’

Another alleged victim also claimed Wang had done the same ‘Molly water trick on me’, while third accused him of drugging two friends in 2014.  

Diet Prada asserted that allegations against Wang have been circulating for months if not years. 

In its post the account shared screenshots from Instagram stories rapper Azealia Banks posted in 2019 which included anonymous allegations against Wang. 

While Banks’ posts have since disappeared from her Instagram, they were screencapped and archived by Twitter users.  

Wang turned off the comments on his latest Instagram post on Monday. The official Instagram account for his brand did the same on all of its posts. 

WWD spoke to an attorney, Harley Lewin, who has worked with Wang on multiple intellectual property cases in the past, about the scandal spreading across social media.  

Lewin said he does not represent Wang but considers him ‘a friend and a colleague’. 

‘I’ve not known him to tread over the line, so to speak. I know him to be a very nice, thoughtful caring person,’ he said. 

He did not comment on the specific allegations against Wang but spoke broadly about similar situations. 

‘I have been on both sides of these situations,’ Lewin said. ‘There are compelling reasons why one treats any allegation of misconduct with respect and with credence and credibility. People have to come forward and perhaps expose themselves to ridicule or other equally nasty things that happen to people on the Internet.’

‘The other side to it is there is often a level of innocence or stupidity, frankly. Old-school people acting old-school, not being sensitive without the intent, but nonetheless stepping out of line.’

Lewin said he personally has been ‘wrongly accused’, without providing additional detail, as he urged the public not to jump to conclusions.  

‘I have enormous sympathy for both sides,’ he said.  ‘I would simply urge that people be given adequate credibility to be heard on both sides. And that people refrain from making judgments based on allegations and complaints of public pronouncements in the press.’ 

On Tuesday, fashion advocacy organization Model Alliance, released a statement in support of Wang’s accusers.

‘We at Model Alliance stand in solidarity with those who have shared accusations of sexual abuse by Alexander Wang,’ it said in an Instagram post.

‘Lets be clear: The fashion industry’s lack of transparency and accountability leaves all models vulnerable to abuse, regardless of their sex or gender identity.’