Kate Upton has shed light on allegations that Guess co-founder Paul Marciano sexually harassed her, claiming he grabbed her breasts the first time they met to make sure they were real.
The 25-year-old model publicly accused the fashion designer of sexual misconduct on social media last week but did not go into detail about specific allegations.
In an interview with TIME magazine on Wednesday, Upton claimed Marciano assaulted and started harassing her when she was 18 on the set of her first professional modeling campaign.
Kate Upton has claimed that Guess co-founder Paul Marciano assaulted and started harassing her when she was 18 on the set of her first professional modeling campaign in 2010
Upton said Marciano had asked to meet with her after the first day of shooting for a Guess Lingerie campaign in 2010.
‘As soon as I walked in with photographer Yu Tsai, Paul came straight up to me, forcibly grabbed my breasts and started feeling them – playing with them actually. After I pushed him away, he said, ‘I’m making sure they’re real’,’ she said.
‘Despite doing everything I could physically do to avoid his touch throughout the meeting, he continued to touch me in a very dominating and aggressive way, grabbing my thighs, my arms to pull me closer, my shoulders to pull me closer, my neck, my breasts, and smelling me.’
Upton claims Marciano had asked the photographer to leave, but the model quickly sent Tsai a text message urging him not to go – but that allegedly didn’t stop the designer’s advances.
The 25-year-old model publicly accused Marciano of sexual misconduct on social media last week but did not go into detail about specific claims
Marciano, pictured last week, described Upton’s claims as ‘absolutely false’ and ‘preposterous’. He claims he was never alone with her and never touched her inappropriately
‘At one point he forcibly grabbed the back of my head so that I could not move and started kissing my face and my neck. I remember not wanting to say ‘Get off of me’ because I didn’t want to open my mouth to say anything because I didn’t want him to be able to put his tongue in my mouth,’ she said.
‘I had two options: do everything I could to wiggle away and avoid his pursuit, or punch the CEO of Guess. So I decided to just wiggle away.’
Marciano described the allegations as ‘absolutely false’ and ‘preposterous.’
‘I have never been alone with Kate Upton,’ he said. ‘I have never touched her inappropriately. Nor would I ever refer to a Guess model in such a derogatory manner.
‘I fully support the #metoo movement. At the same time, I will not allow others to defame me and tarnish my reputation. I have pledged to Guess and its Board of Directors my full support and cooperation with a fair and impartial investigation.’
Photographer Yu Tsai confirmed to TIME that he witnessed the alleged harassment.
Upton, pictured last week in New York on the day she made the accusations, claims Marciano forcibly kissed her face and neck
Upton posted the above tweet on Twitter last week calling out Guess co-founder Paul Marciano
She then posted a screenshot of her tweet on Instagram with a caption saying he shouldn’t be allowed to use his power in the industry to harass women
Upton went on to claim that Marciano had asked to walk her back to her hotel room following the shoot but she immediately declined.
‘The only thing I was thinking is if he touches me like that in public, I can’t imagine what he’d try to do in private,’ Upton said.
She claims Marciano called repeatedly asking to visit her at the hotel and said that he was already down in the lobby.
Upton said the following day she was told she had been fired from the shoot.
‘Someone had called my agency to say I had gotten fat and would not be needed on set,’ she said.
‘I was devastated, especially because at this point no one from Guess had even seen me.’