Georgina Chapman is not a "victim": Keren Craig, co-founder of Marchesa speaks out

Georgina Chapman, estranged wife of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, doesn’t see herself as a “victim”.

That’s according to her best friend and Marchesa co-founder, Keren Craig, who has spoken for the first time about the accusations of sexual abuse against Weinstein and the affect it has had on their fashion label. The label pulled out of showing at New York Fashion Week this season, which left many wondering what was happening to the brand.

Georgina Chapman, 41, separated from Weinstein in October last year after he was accused in a NY Times article of sexually harassing multiple women.

Speaking to Grazia, Keren Craig, with whom she set up fashion brand Marchesa in 2004, has claimed the designer is now just trying to move on with her life.

“She doesn’t see herself as a victim,” she told the magazine. “That’s very important. She’s just trying to get on with her life. You’ve got to realise George is such a strong woman. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very hard time, but she’s quite inspirational.”

When asked by Grazia if she ever had any indication about Weinstein’s alleged behaviour, the 41-year-old designer said: “Absolutely not. No it was a total shock. It was upsetting and my heart was broken for George.”

Neither did she have any suspicion that her friend’s soon-to-be ex husband had been allegedly coercing actresses into wearing Marchesa to red carpet events.

Earlier this year Jessica Chastain revealed that the disgraced producer once pressured her to wear a dress from the label, then taunted her when she refused.The actress told WSJ Magazine that Weinstein had wanted her to wear Marchesa to the premiere of ‘The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby’, which was distributed by his company.

People magazine said Chastain opted instead to wear an electric blue Atelier Versace gown.

Chastain went on to reveal that Weinstein had publicly chastised her for the decision to forgo the label when introducing the actress at a later event.

“He actually told the audience, ‘If I had to get in a boxing ring with Muhammad Ali or Jessica Chastain, I would choose Muhammad Ali,’” Chastain told WSJ Magazine.

It’s difficult to prove for sure whether stars chose to out and out boycott the wearing of Marchesa to the Golden Globes thanks to the fact that correspondents were more focussed on the fact that stars were wearing black in support of the Time’s Up movement.

But according to Spotted, which tracks brands that celebrities wear by analysing paparazzi and social media photos, no stars have been spotted in the label since the scandal broke.

And there’s no denying that previous years have seen red carpets awash with stars in Marchesa designs.

Keren went on to say how “incredibly strong” she thought her best friend had been in the wake of the accusations. “She threw herself in to work, she threw herself into protecting her kids. Marchesa is her life, it is her passion.”

Now looking towards the future, Keren also explained that the fashion duo are in the process of working out how their brand can help to support the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, which have resulted from the Weinstein scandal.

“We want to support them. We want to make a gesture. We need to properly process how it can be the most beneficial.”

And in terms of the brand itself, Keren said the focus from now on is firmly on their customers and taking the label in a new direction. “We want the clothes to speak for themselves,” she says.

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