Who is Peter Nygard, fashion giant convicted of sexual assault

Nicknamed the King of Polyester, Peter Nygard is an 82-year-old Finnish-Canadian fashion mogul who used his dominant social position to commit sexual assault.

Peter Nygard and his system of perpetuating sexual violence in his office

Before a Toronto jury, he was found guilty on November 12, 2023, of four out of five counts of sexual assault and forcible confinement, reports the Caretaker. While the victims’ identities remain protected, they all report the same modus operandi: he met them in a relatively social context before inviting them to the headquarters of his powerful clothing company in Toronto. There she ended up leading them to a secret room, with a bed, a television, a Jacuzzi and above all doors without handles, controllable only by Peter Nygard.

Among the complainants, one was only 16 years old at the time of the events. She says that after she managed to escape, an employee gave her an abortion pill, a sign that some people were aware of her misdeeds, that even an entire system was organized to perpetuate itself. Her net worth estimated at 817 million Canadian dollars (580 million euros) in 2009 certainly helped…

Born in Finland in 1941, Peter Nygard grew up in the Canadian province of Manitoba before becoming one of Canada’s richest people thanks to his eponymous clothing company founded in 1967. He left the presidency when the FBI raided his offices in 2020 for sex trafficking allegations. The textile empire eventually filed for bankruptcy a few years later. And this trial in Toronto is just one among other legal challenges, as he also faces charges of sexual assault and false imprisonment in Quebec and Manitoba. In the United States, 57 other women, including 18 Canadians, also accuse him of violence, intimidation and corruption. Peter Nygard denies everything.

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