Dozens of former interns at the fashion house Giorgio Armani have filed a class-action suit in Manhattan against their ex-employer, claiming they were stiffed over wages.
Marist College grad Stephanie Figuccio, the lead plaintiff, worked at Armani’s Spring Street showroom from June through August 2009.
Figuccio, who now works for Steve Madden, ironed and folded clothing, set up the floor and arranged lighting for 16 to 20 hours a week yet wasn’t paid a dime, even though her tasks were the same performed by Armani staffers, according to court papers.
“Armani’s internship program was not similar to training provided in an educational program,” the suit says, and therefore, the intern should have been paid at least the minimum wage.
The group is seeking unspecified damages and follows in the footsteps of another roughly 100 former unpaid interns who sued Donna Karan for back pay almost exactly a year ago.
That case is still pending.
Reps for Armani did not immediately return calls.