Model Alliance + Carré Otis Demand Accountability from Elite World Group CEO Julia Haart

NEW YORK, NY (08/23/2021) (readMedia)-- The Model Alliance and 90's supermodel and survivor Carré Otis sent a letter today to demand accountability from Elite World Group CEO Julia Haart.

On August 12th, Otis filed a civil case under the Child Victims Act against her former agent Trudi Tapscott and her abuser, former President of Elite Europe, Gérald Marie. Marie raped and abused dozens of young women -- including underage girls -- who were in pursuit of a career in modeling, including Otis. Marie's behavior was known throughout Elite when Otis was sent to live with him. Otis, a member of the Model Alliance's Leadership Council, still models and is represented by Iconic Focus Models, an all women-owned agency.

According to Women's Wear Daily, Elite made every effort not to respond to Otis's filing ten days ago: "A call to Elite's New York office seeking comment regarding Sutton's allegations was disconnected Friday afternoon. A follow-up call was directed to voicemail and an email request was not immediately returned."

In 2019, the Model Alliance met with Haart to discuss Elite World Group signing onto the RESPECT program, which is the only existing accountability program designed by and for models. Under RESPECT, signatory companies make a legally binding commitment to require their employees and contractors to follow a code of conduct that protects everyone's safety on the job.

Haart declined to sign onto the RESPECT program. Now two years later with her Netflix series "My Unorthodox Life," she has branded herself as a leader in the modeling industry who is committed to getting rid of abusers and empowering women, despite her failure to commit to concrete protections for the models she represents. The industry that trafficked and allowed Otis to be abused 30 years ago is still the same, largely unregulated industry.

"No predator acts alone: There are enablers and institutions created to insulate them from the consequences of their actions," Carré Otis, Model Alliance Leadership Council Member, said. "My abuser's behavior was well-known throughout Elite when I was sent to live with him. While the corporate structure may have changed, Elite and Julia Haart are directly profiting from the branding and prestige associated with that era, without grappling with the real abuses still endemic to the industry. Leadership means taking responsibility and Haart can meet the moment with courage by taking legally-binding, concrete steps now to do better by this generation of models."

"The Model Alliance believes in safety, freedom to work without fear of abuse, and real consequences for abusers," said Founder and Executive Director of the Model Alliance Sara Ziff. "With her Netflix show, Julia Haart has branded herself as a leader who is committed to changing this industry and bettering the lives of women, so it's distressing to see her agency ignore calls to comment on the serial rape of girls by it's former executive who built the legacy she now profits from. Haart has previously declined to sign onto the Model Alliance's RESPECT Program, which would effectively eliminate sexual violence through independent monitoring and enforcement, but we hope she will live up to her values now and put her words into action."

The letter to Julia Haart is below:

Dear Julia Haart:

As the New York Times reported, Carré Sutton filed a Child Victims Act case last week against her former Elite agent Trudi Tapscott and her abuser, former President of Elite Europe, Gérald Marie. Carré was a child when she was trafficked from New York to Paris, where she lived with Marie. Marie raped and abused dozens of young women -- including underage girls -- who were in pursuit of a career in modeling, including Carré. Marie's behavior was known throughout Elite when Carré was sent to live with him.

Elite has assiduously avoided responding to Carré's case, as Women's Wear Daily reported: "A call to Elite's New York office seeking comment regarding Sutton's allegations was disconnected Friday afternoon. A follow-up call was directed to voicemail and an email request was not immediately returned."

This is unacceptable.

As the CEO of Elite World Group, you have expressed your desire to empower women and root out abusers in the modeling industry. Meanwhile, you continue to profit off the prestige of the Elite name through EWG and affiliated brands such as your new clothing line, named "e1972" to recognize the year known sex offender John Casablancas founded the company. How can you profit off the dark legacy of Elite on the one hand, and present yourself in your Netflix series as a change agent and champion of womens' rights on the other?

The industry that trafficked Carré thirty years ago is the same industry that exists today. The lack of regulation of modeling agencies and absence of safe channels to file grievances leave models highly vulnerable to abuse with little opportunity for recourse. Through our support line, MA Support, we hear about these abuses every day, even at the highest levels of the industry.

In 2019, we met with you to discuss Elite World Group signing onto the RESPECT Program, a program of the Model Alliance that would effectively eliminate sexual violence through independent monitoring and enforcement. You failed to sign on. This inaction suggests that you are more interested in presenting yourself as a change agent in the industry than you are in actually creating a safe work environment for the models whose interests you claim to represent.

The RESPECT Program is the only existing accountability program designed by and for models. Under RESPECT, signatory companies make a legally binding commitment to require their employees and contractors to follow a code of conduct that protects everyone's safety on the job. Models have access to an independent complaint mechanism, with swift and fair resolution of complaints and appropriate consequences for abusers. Further, RESPECT includes a robust training program aimed toward prevention to ensure that everyone understands their rights and responsibilities.

The Model Alliance believes in safety, freedom to work without fear of abuse, and real consequences for abusers. We hope you share these values. We invite you to work with us to address and prevent sexual abuse in the fashion industry, and to take meaningful action by joining the RESPECT Program.

As the world's largest conglomerate of modeling agencies, Elite World Group has the power to fundamentally shift the modeling industry and end the cycle of abuse. Will you use it?

Sincerely,

Carré "Otis" Sutton, Model & Model Alliance Leadership Council Member

Sara Ziff, Founder & Executive Director, Model Alliance

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About the RESPECT Program

Born of the direct experience and unique understanding that models have of the industry, the RESPECT Program is the first-of-its-kind initiative, designed to enable a working environment in which creative collaboration and self-expression flourish, and everyone can work without fear of harassment, abuse, discrimination or violence. Unlike other industry programs that rely on voluntary self-regulation, the RESPECT Program uses legally-binding agreements to create enforceable standards and hold bad actors and enabling institutions accountable.

Hailed by the United Nations and Harvard Business Review, the worker-driven social responsibility approach used by the RESPECT Program requires the following from participating companies, brands and agencies:

• Implement a rigorous Code of Conduct to protect models from harassment and abuse.
• Train models, staff, and other contractors to ensure that everyone understands their rights and responsibilities under the Program, including how to bring complaints if they experience abuse.
• Sign a legally-binding agreement with the Model Alliance to ensure compliance with the Program's standards. Serious repeated violations will result in companies terminating their business relationships with the offending individual.
• Ensure all models are paid for their work in a timely manner, without unreasonable fees and with transparency concerning any and all wage deductions

The Program includes an independent, transparent enforcement body to monitor the workplace and address complaints of harassment, as well as a safe, confidential and accessible complaint mechanism, which models can use without fear of retaliation.