Kendall and Kylie Jenner Deny Allegations That They Aren’t Paying Factory Workers

Shannon Barbour
·7 min read

From Cosmopolitan

  • The Kendall + Kylie clothing and accessories brand denied accusations that they don’t pay the factory workers who produce their products.

  • Previous reports claimed Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner weren’t paying workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Some of the reports identified Global Brands Group as the brand’s owner.

  • Kendall + Kylie is currently owned by Canada Inc. and does not manufacture products in Bangladesh, according to a statement from Kylie Jenner’s rep.

The Kendall + Kylie clothing and accessories line has been in piping-hot water lately following accusations from blogs like Diet Prada and nonprofit organizations like Remake, which called out Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner for allegedly withholding pay from factory workers in Bangladesh.

Initially, Remake named the brand’s owner and manufacturer as Global Brands Group because GBG and Kendall + Kylie were linked via a logo on GBG’s website. Remake also stated that as a result of the pandemic and production changes, “factories are facing a severe liquidity crunch, with the women who make our clothes placed in the most vulnerable situation. No longer receiving pay, despite having already done the work, these women are quite literally at risk of starving to death.”

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REPOSTING because we couldn’t edit the original any further and y’all seemed to get a kick out of Kylie juxtaposed with “Former ‘billionaire’” lol. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We’ve been contacted by reps from @kendallandkylie who’ve refuted the allegations that the brand is not paying its factories, as reported in multiple media outlets over the last week. They stated the following in an e-mail: “The brand is owned by 3072541 Canada Inc. not GBG and we are not currently producing in Bangladesh using Global Brands Group.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As of now, Global Brands Group still lists Kendall + Kylie under their “Brands” section on their website. It’s unclear at what point they may have changed licensees and manufacturers. A quick search of 3072541 Canada Inc. led to a closed business page, but searching in conjunction with “Kendall and Kylie” you’ll find ties to the brand. Some early press from 2015, and some 2018 legal filings from a lawsuit filed by a photographer against the sisters for using Tupac Shakur’s image—remember that? Never forget that they printed their own faces and logos over photos of deceased iconic musicians and tried to charge $125 for them lol, but anyways… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We’re awaiting comment from Mostafiz Uddin, a manufacturer for Global Brands who has been very vocal in the news the past week about his cancelled orders. Dieters, what are your thoughts? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ • #kendallandkylie #kendallxkylie #kyliejenner #payup #kendalljenner #kylieskin #kyliecosmetics #highgloss #dietprada

A post shared by Diet Prada ™ (@diet_prada) on Jun 23, 2020 at 4:39pm PDT

Since Kendall and Kylie are two of the wealthiest women on the planet, critics were quick to question why they allegedly weren’t paying their workers. But the sisters, by way of their brand’s Instagram account, just denied everything in a brief statement posted to their feed.

The Kendall + Kylie team wrote:

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A post shared by Kendall + Kylie (@kendallandkylie) on Jul 2, 2020 at 6:18pm PDT

Kylie’s rep echoed that statement in a June email to Teen Vogue and added, “The Kendall + Kylie brand is owned by Canada Inc. The brand does not produce in Bangladesh. So [these allegations are] not accurate.” The rep also stated that Remake “has taken the brand down from the site and is in the process of deleting their current social media posts.”

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/ Celebrities have joined the #PayUp group chat. (cc @kyliejenner, @kendalljenner, @diddy, @iamcardib) ⠀ In this pandemic, we do not need feel-good philanthropy from Kendall and Kylie Jenner, P. Diddy, and Cardi B. What we need, instead, is good business practices !!! ⠀ Kendall + Kylie, is owned by Global Brands Group, who refused to pay its garment suppliers for orders produced in February and March following a drop in sales caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “Given the unpredictability of the situation, our retail partners have cancelled orders, and existing inventory and product in production may have no sell-through. Consequently, we have no choice but to make the difficult decision to cancel all S/S 2020 orders from all suppliers (without liability),” wrote Rick Darling, CEO of Global Brands Group in a letter dated March 21, 2020. ⠀ However, the fact of the matter is that Global Brands Group does have a choice — it’s just choosing not to implement it. ⠀ Kylie and Kendall aren’t the only celebrity culprits allowed to distance themselves from this devastating truth. Also owned by Global Brands Group? ⠀ P. Diddy’s Sean Jean line. The irony here is difficult to overlook. Recently, P.Diddy launched #OurFairShare, a platform to help minority entrepreneurs access funds in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is admirable. ⠀ But we talked to an entrepreneur in Bangladesh, Mostafiz Uddin, of Denim Experts, who runs a sustainable denim factory. Global Brands Group owes him hundreds of thousands of dollars for products his workers made + shipped in February. ⠀ In April, he pleaded w/ Global Brands Group, “Here my workers are hungry, they are being agitated, they are very angry. I have promised them to pay wages. So please please make my payment.” We would hope that P.Diddy, who cares about #COVID19’s disproportionate impact on Black + Brown people, would ensure that his line does the same. Seems only fair.

A post shared by 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 (@remakeourworld) on Jun 11, 2020 at 5:58am PDT

But, uh, while all this was going down in June, Remake posted an interesting statement after Kylie’s rep denied everything. Remake claimed the Kendall + Kylie team threatened legal action if they didn’t remove their posts and apologize. Remake continued to press and demanded the clothing brand provide proof that they are paying their garment workers during the pandemic. If not, Remake “will not back down.”

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/ Remake has always believed in providing a platform to advocate for vulnerable garment makers, who most often are Black and Brown women. ⠀ We launched our #PayUp campaign to hold fashion brands accountable during COVID-19 and to make sure that they pay factories for produced orders -- without this payment, many of the women who make our clothes face homelessness and starvation. ⠀ On June 11, we shared with you that Global Brands Group (affiliated to KENDALL + KYLIE on their website up until TODAY), had refused to pay garment workers for orders produced in February + March following a drop in sales caused by the coronavirus pandemic. ⠀ ⠀ One day later, the KENDALL + KYLIE brand Instagram account shared their intent, to “better our industry and better each other” which was ironic given the lack of response or commitment to #PayUp. ⠀ Over the last week, others have amplified Kendall and Kylie’s lack of action (@diet_prada). As many look up to the sisters and brand, we expect for them to lead by example and stand behind their words that they support women. ⠀ Today, we received word from a KENDALL + KYLIE representative that they do not have “current” orders with Global Brands Group and will pursue legal action if we didn’t remove our posts and apologize. ⠀ 🤔 We ask: do KENDALL + KYLIE know who makes their label? And if the women have been paid during the crisis? ⠀ Until we receive clear answers from the team that KENDALL + KYLIE have proof they paid garment makers, we will not back down. ⠀ ⠀ If KENDALL + KYLIE really support women then why threaten legal action against a non-profit for women BY women and disable comments? ⠀ We invite them to dialogue w/ us to learn more about the women who bring their label to life. ⠀ — ⠀ Help us hold them accountable: ⠀ ‼️COMMENT on @kendallandkylie post + EMAIL 📧 info@kendall-kylie.com asking for answers ⠀ 📝 SIGN our @changedotorg petition (🔗 in bio) to demand brands #PayUP ⠀ ‼️ To KENDALL + KYLIE’s retail partners (@amazon, @amazonfashion, @ashleystewart, @asos, @bloomingdales, @lebscom, @macys, @neimanmarcus, @nordstrom, @revolve, @saks, @shopbop) why do you carry a brand that is not transparent + supportive of women?

A post shared by 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 (@remakeourworld) on Jun 23, 2020 at 9:25pm PDT

TBD whether Remake will respond to the latest statement from Kendall + Kylie.

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