Emails between Kate Upton's team and Guess reveal that a 2012 campaign shoot was canceled over the model's refusal to wear lingerie or swimwear. Photo / Getty Images
Emails between Kate Upton's team and Guess reveal that a 2012 campaign shoot was canceled over the model's refusal to wear lingerie or swimwear. Photo / Getty Images
Bombshell emails between the agent of Kate Upton and Guess co-founder Paul Marciano have raise questions over parts of the supermodel's recent shocking claims the fashion designer sexually harassed her.
Upton rocked the fashion world with disturbing allegations in January and February that Marciano had grabbed her breasts on a photo shoot and made a series of unwanted sexual advances.
The 25-year-old first publicly accused the fashion designer on social media before detailing specific allegations in a revealing TIME magazine interview, reports Daily Mail.
She even claimed she was forced to walk away from a $400,000 (NZD $549,220) Guess campaign in 2012 because she was reportedly wary of Marciano's behaviour.
However, emails seen by DailyMail.com between Upton's agent and Guess senior management seem to tell a different story.
Emails in May 2012 between Guess Senior Director of Advertising Kim Nabozny and Lisa Benson, a Senior Manager at modeling agency IMG, show that negotiations began for Upton to appear in what would be her seventh Guess shoot since July 2010.
In July, 2012, when discussing Upton's confirmation letter, Guess agreed to a request from IMG that no specific logos for Swim, Lingerie or Accessories be used in the campaign.
The fashion brand then confirmed it would use just the Guess logo, but clarifies that photos will include all of the models wearing lingerie and swimwear.
But this was news to IMG's Benson who replies to Nabozny: "Kate will not wear just swimwear or just lingerie in the shoot. She will wear short shorts or a cardigan over something, but not alone."
Upton has previously claimed she walked away from the $549,000 deal over her fears of working with co-founder Paul Marciano (pictured), who she accused of sexual harassment. Photo / Getty Images
Nabozny responds saying: "I have spoken to Paul Marciano... we have absolutely never been told what a model can wear or not wear on a shoot in the entire history of Guess. Not Claudia Schiffer, Adriana Lima, Eva Herzigova or Laeticia Casta asked for that or was given those options."
At this point Marciano himself chimed in and cancelled the shoot, he writes to Benson: "That's the very first time I hear [sic] that. It was only that we couldn't tag any ads Lingerie or swimwear. Now she can't be shot just in lingerie according to you. Since day ONE of Guess, all models wear Lingerie and Swimwear and that won't ever change. For anyone. So the shoot won't happen."
The emails, obtained by DailyMail.com, seem to fly in the face of Upton's explanation that it was she who "refused" the lucrative campaign because of her reported fears over Marciano.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Kate says: "This whole movement is so victims can have a voice against billion dollar companies. I can't fight a billion dollar company if they don't want to change.
"Multiple women have come out and said they experienced this same behaviour. We shouldn't be expected to keep proving our stories.
"If Guess wants to pick apart limited emails of a negotiation between agents which do not tell the whole story, that's up to them.
"If they actually hired lawyers who do not also represent their CEO Paul Marciano to perform this investigation they would have had the opportunity to get all the information of this negotiation from me, but with this they made their actions known.
"Guess is only interested in poking holes in my story instead of making changes inside of their offices."
In TIME mag the model stated: "…they offered me $400,000, which at the time was their highest paying offer ever.
"I remember I had an internal struggle over this offer. I was hoping after my consistent denials and successful career, that Paul would treat me with professionalism.
"But as we got closer to the shoot date, Paul began texting that he would make sure to be on the set.
"He told me that I wasn't allowed to bring my boyfriend. I just couldn't do it. I refused the campaign. I couldn't accept the money. I walked away about a week before the shoot was scheduled."
Kate Upton seen in New York in February with her husband and MLB pitcher Justin Verlander. Photo / Getty Images
Upton has yet to reveal any proof that the text messages exist or were ever sent by Marciano.
The emails regarding Upton's refusal to wear swimsuits or lingerie don't address whether her allegations of sexual misconduct against Marciano are true, they only raise questions about Upton's recollection of events.
Marciano, 65, fervently denies the allegations and in a statement he called Upton's story "absolutely false" and "preposterous".
"I have never been alone with Kate Upton. I have never touched her inappropriately. Nor would I ever refer to a Guess model in such a derogatory manner.
"I fully support the #metoo movement. At the same time, I will not allow others to defame me and tarnish my reputation.
"I have pledged to Guess and its Board of Directors my full support and cooperation with a fair and impartial investigation," Marciano said.
Upton first hinted at the allegations when she tweeted: "It's disappointing that such an iconic women's brand @GUESS is still empowering Paul Marciano as their creative director #metoo".
She then expanded further on her comment in a TIME interview last month.
Upton claimed Marciano assaulted and started harassing her when she was 18 the first time he met her - the day after the shoot for her first professional modelling campaign.
She claimed that when she first met with Marciano for a Guess Lingerie campaign in 2010, he "forcibly grabbed my breasts and started feeling them - playing with them actually. After I pushed him away, he said: 'I'm making sure they're real.'"
Kate alleged that as the meeting went on he "continued to touch me in a very dominating and aggressive way, grabbing my thighs, my arms to pull me closer, my shoulders to pull me closer, my neck, my breasts, and smelling me."
She shared: "At one point he forcibly grabbed the back of my head so that I could not move and started kissing my face and my neck."
She says photographer Yu Tsai, who was on the shoot, has corroborated her story.
Upton, who went on to become extremely successful because of her Sports Illustrated cover, said she got through the ordeal thanks to the support of family and friends.
The model married baseball star Justin Verlander in Tuscany this past November.
