Anger over Presidents Club clothing range at House of Fraser
A clothing range that appears to recall the Presidents Club, a charity that closed down following a scandal over the behaviour of guests at its male-only dinners, has come under widespread criticism from female entrepreneurs.
The Presidents Club’s annual dinner hit the headlines in 2018 after it emerged that waitresses at the event were told to wear revealing outfits and were allegedly groped by attendees.
The charity at the centre of the scandal has since been shut down, but the brand was registered as a trademark by Manchester-based fashion trader Martyn Warden.
Clothes emblazoned with the brand’s logo, including tight-fitting black dresses and men’s leisure wear, are now being sold at stockists including department store House of Fraser.
“The execution of the brand is bad on so many levels, it’s incomprehensible,” Lu Li, founder of the Blooming Founders support network for female entrepreneurs, told City PM
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“If this was done on purpose to get PR around its controversy, then it would be very narrow minded, short-term thinking,” she continued. “If it wasn’t done of purpose, then you would wonder how blind and incompetent the management must be to let something like this to go public.”
“The fury over the situation sends a very clear message to entrepreneurs: You might be able to get your 15 minutes of fame, but that won’t be enough to build a sustainable business, so do the right things from the start.”
Shadow women and equalities minister Dawn Butler said the range was “trying to trade off the controversy caused by appalling misogynistic behaviour.”
“No one should be selling these products,” she added.
Warden registered the trademark following the Presidents Club scandal in 2018. At the time, he said the brand would be a “grown-up” clothing range, and denied that the scandal had been an inspiration for him.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, he said: “I don’t think that would go down too well, do you?”
City PM has contacted House of Fraser for comment.