A company that has been selling clothing using the name of the defunct charity the Presidents Club has been accused by a Labour MP of trying to profit from controversy and misogyny.
The Presidents Club charity was shut down after two undercover reporters from the Financial Times newspaper attended the charity’s annual men-only fundraising dinner in January 2018 and alleged that some young women hired as hostesses for the event had been subjected to sexual harassment.
Now a clothing company has begun selling a range of sportswear, including tight black dresses similar to those the hostesses were required to wear, using the disgraced charity’s name.
On its website, the company describes itself as “a menswear lifestyle brand who believe that fashion is more than a choice, it’s an experience”.
There is no implication that the company is connected to the charity itself, but Dawn Butler, the shadow secretary for women and equalities, criticised the firm.
“This company is trying to trade off the controversy caused by appalling misogynistic behaviour,” she said. “No one should be selling these products.”
The company’s clothes are currently being sold by the department store chain House of Fraser.
The Charity Commission declined to comment on the story.
The regulator ruled that the charity had breached charity law and the Code of Fundraising Practice after it conducted a compliance case into the charity in the wake of the scandal.
A woman who answered the phone number for the company listed on its website declined to comment.