Gucci treated a top seller who sold $50 million worth of designer goods like a slave, mocking her age and bullying her until she was reduced to skin and bones with her hair falling out, a lawsuit alleges.
Tracy Cohen worked as a customer advisor sales associate for Gucci’s Chicago store on Michigan Avenue for eighteen years. She sold more than $50 million in merchandise — including $5 million in 2021 alone. But in October 2023, she was terminated without resignation.
Cohen, 58, claims she was discriminated against because of her age and that bosses preferred those under 40. She also claims she was targeted because of her gender and disability – anxiety and depression.
She was told she was ‘crazy’ and ‘old’ because she complained about being worked 24/7, it is claimed.
Cohen says she was stripped of thousands in commission to punish her for filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
In the complaint, Cohen claimed that Gucci’s top boss ignored her pleas. When she went to her manager and human resources hoping she would finally get help, she was told she was suspended and ‘under investigation’.
The lawsuit against Kering, Gucci, Gucci, Gucci America, Inc. and Gucci North American Holdings was filed on January 22, 2024 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
Tracy Cohen worked as a customer advisor sales associate for Gucci’s Chicago store (pictured) on Michigan Avenue for eighteen years
Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri (pictured) wearing Gucci left the brand in November 2023 after disagreeing with management over Gucci’s direction, according to The New York Times
Models strut down the catwalk at Gucci’s RTW 2024 Fashion Show in Milan, Italy in February
The lawsuit alleges that “during Ms. Cohen’s employment, instead of decorating her with recognition and giving her opportunities to succeed, Gucci instead consumed nearly every second of her life and exploited her through a modern slavery system of psychological abuse, manipulation and manipulation. discrimination where her associates – Gucci and Kering – destroyed her sense of self and made her live in constant fear of losing her job.’
Cohen was hired by Gucci in 2006. In 2018, she became the number one salesperson at Gucci Chicago, surpassing at least twenty other sales associates. She accounted for 15 percent of the store’s entire monthly quota.
In 2021 – the year she moved $5 million worth of goods – she got a bonus of just $20,000, it is claimed.
According to the complaint, Gucci and Kering staged an elaborate ploy to pressure Cohen into selling more Gucci products while she feared losing her job.
‘The defendants controlled almost every aspect of the plaintiff’s life by isolating her from society, requiring her to work around the clock while tethered to her electronic vending devices, making negative comments about her age and mental health, and giving her a monthly sales quota, that was nearly two to three times the quota for her peers,’ according to the suit.
When she was suspended, never happened in her 18-year career, and she was told she was ‘under investigation’.
The company continued to penalize her and told her she could still sell from home during the 5-day suspension, it is alleged. But bosses banned her from talking to any of her colleagues while she was ‘under investigation’, further isolating her, traumatizing her and bullying her, the lawsuit claims.
Solange, Salma Hayek, François-Henri Pinault and Hanni at Gucci RTW Fall 2024 as part of Milan Ready to Wear Fashion Week held on February 23, 2024 in Milan, Italy
Actor Idris Elba, Sabrina Dhowre Elba and Gucci CEO and President Marco Bizzarri – all dressed in Gucci – are pictured at the LACMA ART+FILM GALA 2022 presented by Gucci at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on November 5, 2022
The suit alleges that co-workers confided in her that they witnessed the defendant abusing, but never came to her aid. Instead, they saw her physically deteriorate,’ the suit states.
A male colleague under 40 told him, ‘Why don’t you just quit’, after seeing her manager bullying her, like in the suit.
She was also denied an assistant to help her manage her exorbitant workload, as described in the complaint.
“The complainant continued to work under exploitative conditions as her hair fell out and as she visibly reduced to skin and bones and suffered physical manifestations of the defendant’s unequal treatment of her,” according to the complaint.
While she held the top performance position, she consistently told her superiors that she suffered from exhaustion, anxiety and depression and their behavior made her disability worse.’
When she joined both Gucci and Kering, she claimed the executives bullied her. When she asked to be transferred to another store, they refused while moving younger, non-disabled, less successful employees to other locations.
In September 2022, when she approached then-Gucci president and CEO Marco Bizzarri, who had created a ‘framework of values allegedly’ dedicated to women’s rights and equality in the workplace, hoping to get his ear, the suit claimed, that he ignored.
“President Bizzarri ignored the plaintiff, the female employee who brought nearly $50 million in revenue to Gucci and Kering, during her nearly 18-year career,” according to the suit.
Cohen claims in the suit that she was excluded from prestigious opportunities and made to feel guilty when she tried to take time off. One of those times was when her father was dying and she needed to look after him, she claimed.
In March 2022, then asked to nominate a beloved customer for Billie Eilish concert tickets, she was told by management that her customer selection was too old, according to a letter reviewed by DailyMail.com.
“I think companies are looking for Gen Z or Millennial customers – He might be a fit for Elton John,” the letter read in part.
Billie Eilish wearing Gucci is pictured speaking on stage at the 2019 LACMA Art + Film Gala Presented by Gucci at LACMA on November 2, 2019 in Los Angeles, California
Elton John performs during his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour at the U Arena on June 11, 2022 in Nanterre, France
The case also details Gucci’s alleged abusive and exploitative labor practices around the world. Cohen says Gucci officials maintained sweatshop conditions in China, forced pregnant women to have abortions and ignored sexual harassment complaints.
She further highlighted the luxury goods giant’s alleged decision to push new mothers out of their jobs, causing women to suffer from incontinence, calling women ‘crazy’ and requiring female models to wear tank tops on the runway against their will.
Cohen’s lawyer Tamara Holder told DailyMail.com that ‘they fired her because she spoke out.’
“We’re highlighting Tracy’s case, but there are other women coming forward. We look forward to an opportunity to expose how these fashion brands treat women in the workplace.
“Other women have come forward – high-achieving women – from other places,” she added.
Holder said the first interaction she had with the lawyers was a ‘threat’ and intends to file a lawsuit.
‘The threat was that they demanded I drop the human trafficking charges from the trial and they threatened me with sanctions if I didn’t.’
Holder said that since the story broke, five additional women from Seattle, Houston and the California area have come forward.
Holder said, “All from different Gucci stores from all over the country with almost identical requirements.”