Alexander McQueen announces pay for interns amidst lawsuit

Alexander McQueen has promised to pay its interns from now on.

The British label say they have ”paid close attention” to the issue of unpaid work experience schemes following a lawsuit from a former intern who is seeking up to £6,415 in ”lost wages”, claiming the brand broke the law by not paying her national minimum wage.

A spokesperson for Alexander McQueen said: ”We understand this relates to an intern who was with us four years ago. We had no idea until now that she had any concern about the time she spent at Alexander McQueen. We’ve paid close attention to the debate in this area and we now pay all our interns. We support and encourage young creative talent and offer a window into what is a fiercely competitive, but rewarding industry.”

Rachel Watson – a false name given by her lawyers – interned at McQueen for four months from 2009 and 2010 during which she drew embroidery artwork, repaired embellishment pieces and dyed fabric, the Guardian newspaper reports.

She took on the internship after she saw he saw ”almost no other way into the fashion industry” but approached campaign group Intern Aware, who helped file her case last Friday (14.02.14).