In 2020, former Yorkdale associate manager Karissa Lewis said she felt excluded as the only Black manager, was assigned cashier shifts and vacuuming, and was not consulted before a Black worker was fired. Aritzia said it disagreed with many facts but investigated and would act if needed; it announced a $1 million diversity-program investment. In 2023, Brian Hill said the investment and accountability were priorities.
Vancouver — Popular Vancouver-based clothing chain Aritzia has launched an investigation after a former store manager publicly called out the company for how she says she was treated as an employee. Karissa Lewis, 27, who is Black, worked at Artizia’s Yorkdale location in the Toronto area for five months. She told CTV News she joined the company as an associate manager, and had plenty of managerial experience, but wasn’t given an adequate opportunity to prove herself. “I was…given only cashier shifts, which kind of didn’t make much sense,” Lewis recalled. “Managers should have management shifts.” Lewis, who quit Aritzia in February, said she also remembered being asked to vacuum the store twice, a task she didn’t see other managers perform. Lewis said she raised her concerns with the manager that had been training her: “She was kind of giving me the run around and saying, ‘Oh this is normal.' ” Lewis said. While Lewis said she didn’t experience any overt discrimination by her colleagues, as the only Black manager on the team, she felt left out of some work meetings and social invitations by her co-workers. She also said she wasn’t brought into a conversation that ended in a Black worker at her store being fired, until after the fact. “Things don’t have to be overtly said in order for it to be considered racism,” Lewis explained, and added that she hesitated to bring up ongoing concerns because she was worried over what it might mean for her future with the company. Lewis eventually left Aritzia, and moved on to a new job. Then, on May 31, after the company posted on Instagram in response to the anti-racism rallies filling the streets of American cities, she decided to raise her concerns publicly. Aritzia’s post read in part: “We’re using our platform as a call to action – to speak up, to listen, to live our neighbours, to learn from our neighbours, to think critically, to come together and do what’s right.” The company also announced it was donating $100,000 to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP in honour of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man killed while in the custody of four police officers. Lewis spoke out on Twitter, writing in part, “Aritzia, your statement is all for show. You have people on your team who are faced by racism daily and have no one to turn to.” In a written statement Tuesday, Aritzia’s president and COO Jennifer Wong told CTV News: “We were deeply disappointed when we learned of the comments Karissa made about working at Aritzia, which we became aware of when she posted public statements. We have spoken to her, launched a full investigation, and will take proper actions, if needed. While we disagree with many of her underlying facts, her experience touches on matters that are deeply important
In a statement at the time, Hill said Aritzia management had spoken with current and former Black employees and that "investing in ourselves, holding ourselves accountable, condemning intolerance and injustice, and making sure that Aritzia is a place where all people can come and have successful careers" was a "top priority." He said Aritzia had made an "internal investment of $1 million" in its diversity-and-inclusion program. Four former support-office employees said the company began casting more diverse and plus-sized models around this time.
A 2023 report citing current and former employees described alleged yelling, appearance ratings, pressure to work while injured and race-related treatment; Aritzia disputed numerous claims and said it aimed to maintain an inclusive workplace. Its responses included saying it had ended SMPS and had not received complaints about alleged skin-colour coffee incidents. Some accounts were separately reported, and outcomes are not supplied.
But behind Aritzia's glamor and success was a culture that could be high-pressure and exploitative, some former employees said. Five people who worked at retail stores in Ontario between 2005 and 2019 said their managers asked them to rate their own or each other's appearance from one to 10 in daily huddles. There was incredible pressure to sell; a former retail employee said she was once told to come into work despite having a gash on her forehead that required stitches. Aritzia could be particularly inhospitable for Black women. Two Black former style advisors (Aritzia's term for sales associates) said that, on separate occasions, a store manager asked each of them to make her coffee the same color as their skin. Aritzia's spokesperson said the company prided itself on its "inclusive culture" and "incredible diversity," adding that Aritzia was "committed to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive work environment free from discrimination." They said 54% of Aritzia employees and 60% of retail employees identified as BIPOC but declined to provide a breakdown of those statistics.
The nearly 4,000-word Insider article, which is gleaned from interviews with over 50 current and former Aritzia employees, opens on a visit by Hill to one of the multibillion-dollar conglomerate’s fashion boutiques that sent staff there into a “panic.”
On this visit, Hill assembled a group of employees near the front of the Toronto store and gestured to a nearby Victoria's Secret plastered with photos of lingerie-clad models. "Why aren't we hiring people who look like that?" he asked, according to a former employee who was present. (A spokesperson for Aritzia told Insider that Hill "has never made any comments or directives regarding hiring employees based on their race or body type.")
A former Aritzia employee sued the company and her store manager, alleging the manager blocked her entry, shoved her into a hallway and used a racist slur while terminating her on March 28, 2023. Aritzia and the manager denied the allegations; the company said eyewitness reports and CCTV footage disproved them. Former workers also described sales pressure and lost wages from changing their hours.
In May, Anyango Juma Miguna, a former store employee at Aritzia's boutique in Newmarket, Ontario, sued Aritzia and her former store manager. In the filing, which Insider reviewed, Miguna alleged that after four months working at Aritzia, she arrived for her shift on March 28, 2023, to find the manager waiting for her in front of the store. The manager, the filing says, blocked Miguna from entering, "shoved" her into a nearby hallway, and handed her a termination letter. The filing says that as the manager did this, she called Miguna a "'dirty African' who should not be working at Aritzia." Out of 86 employees at that location, the filing says, Miguna was the only one who was Black. (In a statement of defense filed with the court on July 5, the store manager and Aritzia denied all allegations. Aritzia's spokesperson told Insider the company "has eyewitness reports and CCTV footage which disproves these claims.")
Business Insider reported that in June 2020, following George Floyd’s murder, two Black former Aritzia employees came forward saying they had experienced racism while working at the company.
In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Aritzia received a smattering of negative press. Two Black former employees came forward saying they'd experienced racism while working there.
A Texas creator alleged that an employee asked her sister and another customer to leave an Aritzia store while they discussed church recommendations, saying religious conversations were not allowed in the area and could affect the store’s vibe. The creator said the exchange was not disrespectful and criticized the request. Aritzia later said it had reached out to her; the outlet found no public rule banning religious conversation.
The creator says she reached out to Aritzia customer support after the incident because she was “very put off” by what happened. However, she says the chat ended prematurely.
After she checked out, the creator says she walked over to her sister, who was wearing a T-shirt with a Bible verse on it.
In July 2023, an Aritzia spokesperson called Brian Hill exacting but said he was devoted to employee growth and mentorship, and that allegations in a report did not represent the culture he and his leadership team fostered. The company also said its success resulted from the high-performance culture Hill encouraged.
Aritzia counters that “the company’s success has been a direct result of its high-performance culture” as encouraged by its longtime leader, Brian Hill.
On Sept. 13, 2024, a federal judge said Ashante Charles plausibly alleged that Aritzia paid her biweekly rather than weekly, as New York law requires for manual workers. The judge said delayed but ultimately paid wages may have deprived her of their time value and that she could pursue a private lawsuit; the allegations were not a final ruling on liability.
An Aritzia worker sufficiently alleged that the clothing retailer ran afoul of New York law on paycheck frequency for manual workers when it doled out her wages biweekly instead of weekly, a federal judge said.
A customer posting online described a local Aritzia store as “beyond toxic,” alleging staff made rude comments about shoppers’ size, money and whether they belonged there. The customer also said an employee took a stained sale item from them and said they could have it “maybe when you have the money in your bank account.”
In another post, a customer described their local Aritzia as “beyond toxic,” claiming staff members had made rude comments about sizing, money, and whether shoppers belonged in the store. In one alleged interaction, the poster said an employee took a stained sale item out of their hands and told them, “maybe when you have the money in your bank account you can have it.”
Fashion Checker reported finding no public evidence that Aritzia’s suppliers pay workers a living wage. The Business & Human Rights Centre page also lists Aritzia’s 2023 KnowTheChain apparel and footwear score as 18 out of 100; the supplied evidence does not establish whether supplier wages were independently verified.
Living Wage in Supply Chains ? Fashion Checker found no public evidence that the company’s suppliers are paying workers a living wage.
Former employees told Business Insider about alleged workplace pressures, including a manager demanding an ill worker deliver a doctor’s note in person, and another allegedly insisting an employee with a head injury work. A concierge described management as abusive and said stress affected her health. Aritzia said it was unaware of some incidents and denied the reported “crying corner.”
Kaycelyn Pascual, who worked as a style advisor in Ontario in 2018, said she became ill after working an overnight shift. When she called out sick, her manager gave her a same-day deadline to hand in a doctor's note — in person. "I said, well, that's not possible, because I'm sick. It's an hour away," she said. Pascual said she asked if she could fax or send a photo of the note, but her manager said no. Pascual said she resigned that day. The spokesperson said Aritzia was not aware of this incident and was "looking into it."
An anonymous letter delivered to Aritzia’s support office accused founder and Executive Chair Brian Hill of abusive conduct and creating a culture of fear and harassment. The company strongly disputed the allegations. Former employees said meetings with Hill were reduced afterward; Aritzia said meeting sizes were reduced companywide and denied a connection to the letter.
Then, that fall, the first of two anonymous letters lambasting company culture was delivered to the support office. It was addressed to Hill and took aim at what the author called an "abusive" work environment. In the letter, viewed by Insider, the author identified Hill as "the primary abuser" and called him a "bully" who, having "succeeded in building a culture of fear and harassment," disrespected his staff with "embarrassing tirades and shaming."
A former benefits coordinator filed a case with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal alleging Aritzia discriminated against her because of her mental health. She said her manager disparaged her appearance and that, after she began disability leave in August 2021, she was told she had been fired due to restructuring. Mediation was scheduled for August 8; Aritzia said it works to foster an inclusive, supportive workplace.
A former benefits coordinator who worked at Aritzia's Vancouver support office filed a case with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal accusing the company of discriminating against her on the basis of her mental health. She told Insider that her manager disparaged her appearance, telling her, "You don't dress the part, you don't look the part, you don't speak the part."
In a Reddit post cited by The Mary Sue on June 19, 2026, a shopper said Aritzia employees repeatedly asked whether she was ready to pay or wanted a fitting room, even after staff had already approached her. She said the experience makes her avoid the store.
Another Redditor had the opposite complaint, saying Aritzia employees would not leave them alone while they shopped. The user said workers repeatedly asked whether they were ready to pay or use a fitting room, even after they had already been approached.
A Reddit user told The Mary Sue that an Aritzia employee refused to properly check whether a shirt shown as in stock was available in another size, argued with the shopper and rolled her eyes. The shopper said she felt treated “like scum.”
In one Reddit post, a shopper said they asked an employee to check whether a shirt was available in another size, since the website showed it was in stock at that store. According to the poster, the employee refused to properly check, argued with them, and rolled her eyes.
A 2023 Business Insider account said founder Brian Hill’s standards during corporate store visits were high, covering details such as lighting that accentuated clothing as well as expectations for employees, most of whom were women.
Corporate visits are common in retail, but Hill's standards were high, not only for things like whether a store's lighting perfectly accentuated the clothes, but also for the people who worked for him, the vast majority of whom were women.
A June 19, 2026 article said an Austin shopper was not the only person online to complain about how Aritzia employees treated customers. The supplied passage gives no further examples or details, so it does not establish the number, circumstances or outcomes of any other complaints.