Keith Markel and Alana Mildner Smolow Examine Employment Issues Behind Fashion’s Most Exclusive Events

Morrison Cohen Partner Keith A. Markel, chair of the Labor & Employment Practice and co-chair of the Luxury Brands Group, and Labor & Employment Counsel Alana Mildner Smolow recently published “The Employment Issues Behind Fashion’s Most Exclusive Events” in The Fashion Law.

As luxury brands increasingly use runway shows, private dinners, parties and destination experiences to engage top clients and build brand loyalty, the authors examine the employment-law considerations that arise when employees work beyond the traditional store or office environment.

Markel and Mildner Smolow explore a range of issues that can arise around luxury events, including compensable time and overtime, jurisdictional questions, employee classification, discrimination and the treatment of employees who receive coveted event assignments or client-facing opportunities. They also discuss the potential employment-law implications of interactions between employees and customers, vendors and other third parties at events.

The authors emphasize that brands should “treat events as an extension of the workplace, not an exception to it” and involve HR in the planning process. Clear expectations around working time, fair criteria for assignments and event access, careful management of contractors and consistent workplace conduct policies can help brands navigate the employment issues that accompany increasingly experiential client strategies.

Read the full article in The Fashion Law here.