A string of fashion magazines and brands have said they will no longer work with the photographer Terry Richardson, who has been the subject of allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour at photoshoots for almost two decades.
News that the fashion houses Valentino and Bulgari would stop commissioning Mr Richardson, known for his often explicit material, came shortly after a decision to drop him by Condé Nast, the publisher of the glossy magazines Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ.
Mr Richardson is one of the most successful photographers in the world. His trademark style is highly sexualised and he often appears naked in pictures alongside his subjects.
Despite years of allegations about his behaviour, he has photographed everyone from Barack Obama to Oprah Winfrey and Kate Moss, and has directed music videos such as Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball and Beyoncé's XO.
Lurid stories about Mr Richardson’s behaviour have circulated since 2001. It has been claimed that he coerced young female models into exploitative and compromising positions, and into pretending to perform sex acts on him.
Mr Richardson (52)has insisted all his sexually explicit shoots have been consensual.
An email circulated around by Condé Nast, and seen by the Daily Telegraph, announced that any work by Mr Richardson that had not yet been published would be "killed or substituted with other material".
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Mr Richardson said: “Terry is disappointed to hear about this email especially because he has previously addressed these old stories.
“He is an artist who has been known for his sexually explicit work so many of his professional interactions with subjects were sexual and explicit in nature but all of the subjects of his work participated consensually.”
The email, reportedly sent by executive vice president and chief operating officer James Woolhouse, to “country presidents”, announced the “important matter” that the group would no longer work with Mr Richardson.
“Any shoots that have been commission[ed] or any shoots that have been completed but not yet published, should be killed and substituted with other material,” it added.
Allegations about his conduct over the years have resurfaced in the wake of sexual harassment and assault claims made about movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
Mr Richardson addressed the rumours in a blog on the Huffington Post in 2014, writing: "I collaborated with consenting adult women who were fully aware of the nature of the work, and as is typical with any project, everyone signed releases.
“I have never used an offer of work or a threat of rebuke to coerce someone into something that they did not want to do.”
Claims about sexual exploitation generally across the modelling industry are increasingly common.
Models Cameron Russell and Edie Campbell have been sharing anonymous stories of harassment on their Instagram pages using the hashtag #MyJobShouldNotIncludeAbuse.
Model Christy Turlington previously told US industry magazine WWD that harassment of photographic models is tolerated in fashion.
She said: “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry.
“The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experienced at some point in our careers.” –PA and Guardian
