His fans call him chic, but his workers say he’s a taskmaster.
Superstar designer Alexander Wang — famed for his laid-back, fall-out-of-bed fashions — ruthlessly runs a Chinatown sweatshop where workers are abused and exploited, a $50 million lawsuit alleges.
Thirty workers claim they were forced to work 16 hours a day or longer — without overtime — in a suffocating, windowless, 200-square-foot room by the acclaimed fashionista, who earned a whopping $25 million in 2011.
Wenyu Lu and dozens of co-workers charge that Wang, 28, and his brother Dennis Wang violated numerous New York State Labor Laws at their operation at 386 Broadway.
As a result, Lu and the others have suffered injuries, illness, lost time from work and sleep, according to the suit filed in Queens Supreme Court.
Lu claims he was hospitalized for several days after he passed out at his work station because he was forced to work 25 hours straight — without a break — and was told he’d be fired if he didn’t follow orders.
Lu, 56, a three-year employee of teh Wang factory, claims he was also ordered to “knit and perfect a professional grade leather trouser from cut to finish in four hours.”
The job normally takes 12 hours, and results in a pair of pricey pants that can retail for $300, the suit says.
When the four hours passed, Lu claims he was insulted and called names by Dennis Wang, who ordered him to not take a break or go home until the job was completed, the lawsuit says.
Lu was ultimately fired on Feb. 16 after complaining about the labor law violations, bad working conditions, and applying for worker’s compensation, said Ming Hai, his lawyer.
Wang, who opened a 4,000-square-foot flagship store in Chinatown last year, plans to open 15 other stores by the end of this year, including one in China.
The designer’s reps said they had no comment because they hadn’t been served with the lawsuit yet.
The California-born phenom burst onto the downtown New York scene when he launched his first women’s ready-to-wear collection in 2007.
Since then, he’s become known for his casual, weathered T-shirts, tanktops, dresses – and outrageously high-heeled platform sandals.
Retailers including Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman all feature his lines.