ELLE Magazine Australia embraces designer Michael Lo Sordo despite money woes

THE local fashion industry continues to turn a blind eye to the fact Michael Lo Sordo owes thousands of dollars to numerous people with ELLE Magazine Australia offering the designer a guest speaking gig.

Micheal Lo Sordo as he leaves the Whitehouse Institute of Design in Surry Hills, Micheal Lo Sordo is a fashion designer who is in financial trouble. Photo by DAMIAN SHAW

THE local fashion industry continues to turn a blind eye to the fact designer Michael Lo Sordo owes thousands of dollars to numerous people.

Lo Sordo was yesterday a guest speaker at ELLE Magazine Australia’s #ELLEInspires event at the Whitehouse Institute of Design, which gave “some of Australia’s most talented creatives” a platform to “talk about their inspirations and share their insights”.

Jules Sebastian welcomed Lo Sordo, “one of Australia’s best fashion designers” on to the stage, yet did not ask a single question regarding the fact he has owed and currently owes money to pattern makers, seamstresses, a photographer, modelling agencies, and an international brand management and sales representative company.

Micheal Lo Sordo admitted that he’s ‘not good at’ business during his talk. Picture: Damian Shaw

Instead blogger Sebastian, wife of singer Guy Sebastian, engaged in a soft interview and asked the controversial Australian designer questions such as “How would you describe your aesthetic?”, “How do you get inspired?” and “What makes a good idea?”.

Lo Sordo did at least admit he isn’t great at handling the business aspect of his company.

“ ... that’s the interesting thing with the label and how we have experienced growth, it is more business and this and that which is totally what I am not interested in or good at, at all,” he said.

Lo Sordo, whose brand is a favourite of numerous celebrities including blogger Nicole Warne, has been in and out of court in recent times.

Late last year, he was being chased for money by respected photographer Steven Popovich who was enlisted to take the photographs of Lo Sordo’s 2015 resort collection earlier this year but was never paid for his work.

In February, Lo Sordo was forced to pay thousands of dollars to contractors after being taken to court for failing to pay for work done. That same month he was ordered to pay Bright Trading Pty Ltd $4869 for work completed following another court case.

Prior to that, a contractor claimed Lo Sordo’s company owed her $14,000 for producing a range of trademark silk trench coats — a claim he disputes because: “The standard and quality of production, in this instance, was not met so the invoice is in dispute.”

The designer missed a deadline to pay $40,000 to his former accounting firm Viole Pty Ltd.

In March, modelling agency Chic Management won a civil case against the fashion label after it failed to pay the agency for models it provided for Lo Sordo’s 2014 Fashion Week parade.

Dennis Gouskos, who did some cutting for Lo Sordo in 2014, said he was owed thousands but it wasn’t worth chasing.

Originally published as ELLE Magazine Australia embraces designer Michael Lo Sordo despite money woes