A former employee of designer brand Moschino is now reportedly suing the company over accusations that a supervisor had a code name for black shoppers.
Shamael Lataillade has said her supervisor at the Italian luxury clothing company refers to black clients as Serenas to identify which ones will spend in the shop and which ones wont, according to TMZ.
Black shoppers who dont look visibly rich (i.e not wearing diamonds or designer items) were labelled Serena and watched closely, said Shamael.
She revealed that the supervisor at the West Hollywood store told employees to keep an eye on black shoppers, following them, and in one instance write down their license number.
In addition, they were also instructed to tell Afro-Caribbean customers that items were out of stock.
She also recalled that one time the supervisor called the police to report a suspicious black man who later turned out to be a high profile rapper, whose name Shamael has chosen to omit.
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As a black, Haitian-American woman, Shamael also detailed how the employees would discriminate against her.
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The supervisor was said to have mocked her for practicing voodoo and later dismissed Shamael for complaining about the Serena code, according to the suit.
It is unconfirmed but the code Serena is thought to be in reference to Serena Williams.
Shamael is now reportedly suing Moschino for unspecified damages.
We have reached out to comment from Moschino and will update the article if they respond.
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They told TMZ that the company complies with applicable equal employment laws and values and respects all customers and clients regardless of their race or background.
We have also contacted Shamael for comment.
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