Top stylist for Calvin Klein and Nina Ricci sues upmarket New York fashion magazine Document Journal for $1.2M over claim she was unpaid for six years

A world-famous stylist who counts Calvin Klein and Jimmy Choo among her clients has sued one of New York’s leading fashion magazines for $1.2 million over claims she worked without pay for six years.

Sarah Richardson claims she has been Document Journal’s creative and fashion director since 2017, but has not been paid a cent, despite being promised a 30 percent stake in the magazine business and an annual salary of $60,000, plus expenses.

She claims in a lawsuit filed in New York that the magazine’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, Nick Vogelson, instead delayed negotiations over her pay “as a ploy to cynically incentivize” Richardson to stay on board .

A legal complaint, peppered with thinly veiled barbs against Richardson’s former boss, alleges that Vogelson was a relative nobody in the industry when he co-founded the magazine in 2012.

Vogelson “was an unknown figure in the fashion world with little or no contact with stylists, makeup artists, photographers and writers,” the lawsuit said.

Richardson alleges in a lawsuit filed in New York that the magazine’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, Nick Vogelson (pictured), reneged on a promise to give her a 30 percent stake in the company in exchange for her services as a creative and fashion director

He recruited Richardson in 2016 when the magazine was “still on the fringes of the fashion industry and struggling financially” and she was initially promised a 15 percent stake in the magazine business, plus $60,000 a year.

The promised stake was increased to 30 percent shortly thereafter “because Sarah Richardson provided such valuable services,” the lawsuit added. Several draft negotiations were drawn up but none were ever signed, it is claimed.

“Vogelson used the inconclusive negotiations as a ruse to cynically provoke Sarah Richardson and keep her on the job as creative director of Document Journal,” the complaint said.

‘Nick Vogelson benefited from the plaintiff’s expertise, creativity and network of contacts and was enriched at the plaintiff’s expense.’

Richardson never received a stake in the company or a salary for her work, the report said.

In addition to her work for leading brands such as Calvin Klein and Jimmy Choo, Richardson recently served as a stylist for a Tiffany & Co. photo shoot. with Hailey Bieber (pictured in the shoot)

Document Journal launched in 2012 and Richardson was hired in 2016 while the magazine was “still on the fringes of the fashion industry and struggling financially,” according to the lawsuit. Nick Vogelson, the editor, would “benefit from Richardson’s expertise and contacts

Meanwhile, Vogelson “used the significant cash flow to pay himself a compensation package, which includes a salary and reimbursement for personal expenses.”

The lawsuit seeks $1.2 in damages from Vogelson and the magazine’s parent company, Document Publishing LLC, plus her legal fees.

Richardson is described in the lawsuit as “sought after by the world’s leading fashion houses, brands and publications.” Her experience includes ‘a key role in the restart of Yves Saint Laurent’ and as a consultant for Nina Ricci and Jimmy Choo.

“Sarah Richardson has worked closely with several major brands, including Uniqlo and Calvin Klein,” the lawsuit said, adding that she has “created some of the most iconic and original fashion images in the industry.”

Previously, she was Global Fashion Director of iD magazine, ‘a role that saw her work with A-list celebrities and world-renowned directors and photographers’.

“Under industry standards, a freelance creative director with the talent, prestige and contacts of Sarah Richardson would command an annual fee of at least $150,000 to $250,000 for the services she provided on behalf of Document Journal,” the lawsuit said.

Richardson, pictured in 2013, is described in the lawsuit as “sought after by the world’s leading fashion houses, brands and publications”

The lawsuit says Vogelson (left) used the magazine’s “substantial cash flow” to pay himself while failing to deliver a promised stake in the company to Richardson

Her other recent credits include working as a stylist for a Hailey Bieber photo shoot for Tiffany & Co. in 2022.

Document Journal is described as ‘an independent avant-garde magazine dedicated to culture, art and fashion’. The magazine, published twice a year, is headquartered in New York City.

The magazine is known for throwing glitzy parties at exclusive locations in New York City and several of the events have been featured in Vogue.

Richardson’s address is listed in the lawsuits as a six-bedroom mansion worth an estimated $6.2 million in an upmarket suburb of north London.

Both Vogelson and Document Publishing LLC are listed in the lawsuit as living at the same Brooklyn address.

Richardson’s Instagram profile still lists her in the position at Document Journal.

According to Richardson’s verified profile on the website models.com, her recent clients include Calvin Klein and Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini, a luxury Italian brand.

The lawsuit was filed on November 9 in the Southern District of New York.