Karen Craig, one of the co-founders of red-carpet label Marchesa, is departing the brand. The designer is leaving the label to concentrate on new challenges, one year after her business partner’s husband, Harvey Weinstein, was accused of sexual misconduct by several women in Hollywood.
Craig announced that she was leaving on Tuesday in an official statement.
“While I have made the difficult decision to part ways with Marchesa, I have tremendous pride in the company, the team, and the many successes achieved. Marchesa will always be the realisation of a dream. Over the last 16 years, it has been the most incredible and fulfilling professional journey. I am excited to now begin exploring additional creative opportunities and to push my potential as a designer in new directions.”
It has been a challenging few years for Marchesa. In October of 2017, Chapman’s then-husband Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault, which brought some unwanted attention on the brand when it was revealed that part of his abuses of power included demanding actresses on his projects wear the label to at least one major red carpet event.
Marchesa canceled its Fall 2018 runway show and has not re-appeared on the calendar since, despite heavy efforts from Anna Wintour to rehabilitate Chapman’s image in the public eye. It has been widely speculated that Weinstein stands to financially profit from any potential comeback, too.
