Rina Bovrisse, a former senior retail manager for Prada Japan, and two other workers filed a lawsuit against their ex-employers back in 2010, claiming Prada Japan’s CEO Davide Sesia ordered the termination of staffers he found “old, fat, ugly, [or] disgusting.” Bovrisse further alleged she was fired after a meeting with Sesia in which he instructed her to diet and re-style her hair, because he was otherwise “ashamed of Ms Bovrisse’s ugliness [and didn’t] want visitors from Italy to see her.” At the time, Prada responded to the allegations by stating they had no ground. Two years later, the Tokyo District Court agreed — a judge ruled against Bovrisse, and rejected her claim. While her legal team considers an appeal, a countersuit from Prada Japan alleging Bovrisse “made false statements” regarding her dismissal remains pending.
