A recent report has revealed allegations of sexual misconduct, unaccountability, and other issues at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
On Friday, Air Mail – a weekly digital newsletter founded in 2019 by former Vanity Fair editor-in-chief and former NYTimes reporter – published a report revealing severe allegations against the prestigious firm. Interviews with many workers, both former and current, detailed the numerous issues plaguing the organization.
Workers alleged that many of them received less than the standard 50 percent commission on sales, with the firm failing to reimburse them for genuine costs like shipment of the works. Some even alleged that the firm was manipulating sales invoices to obscure and inflate the numbers. A bulk of accusations were centered around the firm’s grand facility in Mitry-Mory, located just outside Paris. Workers alleged that the facility had poor working conditions, leading to the death of a Polish bricklayer in 2015. Another severe accusation came against co-founder Loïc Le Gaillard, accusing him of sexual misconduct. The allegations claimed that Le Gaillard had affairs with multiple staff and often employed women simply for their looks.
Carpenters Workshop Gallery, an iconic design firm, was founded in 2006 by Loïc Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail. The gallery frequently collaborates with names from various fields, including fashion designer Rick Owens, architect Zaha Hadid, sculptor Wendall Castle, and Charlotte Perriand. The firm employs 120 workers across its four locations in London, Paris, and New York. Last April, it unveiled its fourth location in London. The co-founders did not comment on the report, but a gallery spokesperson said “We are of course deeply troubled by the content of the article. Right now, we are prioritising the welfare of our staff and artists and taking the time to consider our response with our internal teams.”
