Three “beauty consultants”, Darshana Patel, Semone Ballin and Leena Chaudhary, are suing the company that runs the cosmetics counters at Liberty, for race discrimination. The three women worked on the cosmetics counter, for Hourglass, at Regent Street store and have taken their case to an employment tribunal.
It is said that Darshana Patel (30), has accused the company of not wanting to be “associated with people of colour”. She recalls the discrimination faced. “In September 2013, I wanted to write a beauty blog. I was told I could only do this as a ‘ghost writer’. I then found out that Josh Collier [Caucasian] was able to do this freely.”
Founder and chief executive of Hourglass, Clarisa Janes has been accused of questioning why Muslim women wear make-up under their veiled faces. It is claimed that she stated, “I don't understand why Muslim women wear so much make-up when their faces are covered up. I just don't get it”, while allegedly shaking her head “in disgust”. Semone Ballin (34) claimed that Janes made this comment in the presence of Leena Chaudhary (34), who is a Muslim.
Janes has also been accused of referring to Ballin, whose grandparents are Jamaican, as the “coloured lady”. Clarisa Janes has denied all of these allegations.
Semone Ballin was dismissed from in August 2014, while Leena Chaudhary was dismissed in September 2014, after having worked their for 4 months, after the company claimed she had failed to hand in sick notes.
At the tribunal, Chaudhary informed how she was told about Janes' plan of sacking Ballin. “Daniela [Saenz] mentioned that she needed to talk… She then went on to tell me that ‘you’re not going to believe this — Carisa is going to fire Semone because she did not like the look of her’.”
Clarisa Janes has denied all of the allegations made towards her and the company. She said, “I have never criticised or denigrated any religion and I have never said any cultural tradition is stupid.”
She mentioned that the warehouse staff in the US is 70% non-white and the “UK workforce is also diverse and has the same friendly, family atmosphere.
In regards to Ballin's termination at work, Janes's said that Ballin's “contract was terminated because of her poor attitude on the counter, which was not doing well, and as we were moving from freelancers to employees, so it seemed the right time for us to part ways”.
Between the three, the women are said to be claiming £38,000 for sex discrimination, breach of contract, race and religious discrimination and unfair dismissal.
The tribunal hearing continues.
