Two months after being accused of sexual assault and secretly drugging unsuspecting partygoers, Alexander Wang is changing his stance.
The fashion designer, 37, released a statement on his Instagram on Monday, acknowledging the pain he caused his accusers and vowing to change his ways.
“A number of individuals have come forward recently to raise claims against me regarding my past personal behavior. I support their right to come forward, and I’ve listened carefully to what they had to say,” Wang wrote.
“It was not easy for them to share their stories, and I regret acting in a way that caused them pain,” he said.
However, he continued to dispute the truth of the accusations: “While we disagree on some of the details of these personal interactions, I will set a better example and use my visibility and influence to encourage others to recognize harmful behaviors.”
Wang concluded, “Life is about learning and growth, and now that I know better, I will do better.”
The statement was echoed by Lisa Bloom, the lawyer hired to defend 10 alleged victims.
“We have met with Alexander Wang and his team. My clients had the opportunity to speak their truth to him and expressed their pain and hurt,” the high-profile attorney wrote on Twitter. “We acknowledge Mr. Wang’s apology and we are moving forward.”
Wang’s reconciliation is a vast change from his initial reaction to the claims earlier this year. He initially called the accusations “baseless and grotesquely false” in a statement to Page Six Style via a representative, and said that “seeing these lies about me being perpetuated as truths has been infuriating.”
He also declared, “I have never engaged in the atrocious behavior described and would never conduct myself in the manner that’s been alleged.”
A representative for Wang didn’t immediately respond to Page Six Style’s request for comment.