Allegations from Makeup Artists Against Dolce & Gabbana
Two makeup artists from New York are expressing their dissatisfaction with working for Dolce & Gabbana, stating that the high-end brand has withheld their payments and retaliated against them.
Lisa Rodriguez, 53, and Leslie Bethel, 57, both worked at a counter in the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store. They allege that their wages were regularly delayed and commissions were reduced, alongside the withdrawal of promised health insurance benefits.
Rodriguez, who was terminated in May for not meeting “Dolce standards,” claimed in her lawsuit that this firing occurred shortly after she began to notice payment issues. “They were thrilled to work in the beauty industry,” the lawsuit claims, “but these dreams quickly turned into nightmares… D&G was unable to ensure timely and accurate payments.”
Bethel was brought on board in early April, while Rodriguez started the following month. However, both women went about six weeks without receiving their earnings. After voicing concerns about payroll multiple times, Rodriguez said she was offered a single day of paid leave to help cover late rent.
In May, after another three weeks without pay, Rodriguez sent a desperate email asking, “Hello, can someone find out why I haven’t been paid yet? That’s three weeks. I haven’t been paid for a year now. I have to pay the rent.”
Shortly thereafter, she was called into a meeting where she was informed that her employment was being terminated due to her failure to meet the company’s standards and difficulties in “staying in her own lane.”
Bethel claimed she faced similar issues, ultimately having to borrow money from friends to get by, which must have been tough. This led her to leave her position in January, insisting that she never received one of her final paychecks.
The pair is now seeking justice against Dolce & Gabbana, as well as three supervisors, for wage theft, contract breaches, and retaliation for speaking out about the issues they faced.
At the time of reporting, Dolce & Gabbana had yet to provide a response to these allegations.
