A mixed-heritage stylist at Ralph Lauren’s flagship west London shop was left “traumatised” after a manager made comments referring to the United Colours of Benetton and the UN.
Rikki Grey, whose mother is Jamaican, has won a race harassment ruling against the American fashion label. She worked part time at its shop in Sloane Square and told the tribunal that after her manager made the remarks — which made her see the world in a “different way” — she went on sick leave with stress.
The stylist then launched legal proceedings for racial discrimination and harassment and is set to receive compensation after a judge ruled her boss had invoked language that was “patently related” to her mixed heritage.
The central London tribunal heard that Grey started working there in 2015 as a sales associate stylist. Four years later Nathan Rickerby became the store manager and his relationship with Grey became “fraught and freighted with mutual distrust” as he was frustrated by her record of absenteeism. Grey in turn was said to have felt “singled out” and the tribunal heard that she was considered to have been “one of the best sales performers in his team”.
The incident that triggered the legal dispute started when Rickerby called Grey into his office to complete an online training course. As the pair awaited assistance from technology staff, the manager engaged in small talk and ultimately said: “You’re the European Union aren’t you, being mixed race and all. You’re the United Nations. You’re the United Colours of Benetton.”
At a subsequent grievance investigation, Grey said that Rickerby had “obviously” been referring to her mother being Jamaican and described the incident as “scary”. She added: “This world is not a nice place when you’re dealt with in a certain way because of the colour of your skin.”
Grey’s internal grievance was dismissed, as was a subsequent appeal.
At the tribunal hearing, the manager denied making the comments referring to Benetton and the UN, but the panel found he had done so. And giving evidence at the tribunal Rickerby acknowledged that any reference to the UN in those circumstances had “racial connotations”.
In its ruling, the tribunal concluded that it was “implausible” for the manager not to have been aware that a reference to Benetton, which is a well-known high street fashion brand, also had “racial connotations”.
At the tribunal Grey made a series of claims of race discrimination that were dismissed. However, the tribunal found Rickerby’s comments did constitute racial harassment.
The judge, David Khan, described the manager’s use of language as “not only clumsy and careless but offensive”.
He went on in the ruling that “because of the nature of this language, we conclude that it had the purpose of creating the environment and of violating her dignity”.
It was also relevant to the ruling, said the judge, that Rickerby “was not another colleague or peer of [Grey], but was the store manager and in a position of power and authority over her”.
A hearing to decide compensation will take place at a later date.
