A celebrity stylist famed for dressing Princess Diana and creating Liz Hurley's iconic safety pin dress is suing luxury department store Harvey Nichols, claiming he was barred from serving high-spending Premier League footballers because of his age.
The Allegations of Age Bias
Dean Aslett, 55, a stylist with 35 years of experience, alleges that during his time as a personal shopper at the Harvey Nichols London store, he was systematically passed over for affluent, younger clients. He claims that management instead assigned him "all the difficult, much older clients no one wanted to service."
Mr Aslett told The Sun that his vast experience, which includes working with stars like Elton John and Joan Collins during his time at Versace, seemed to work against him. "I thought I would have something to bring to the table but, if anything, my experience worked against me," he stated.
Lucrative Clients Assigned to Juniors
The stylist specifically named high-profile footballers like Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and former Brentford player Ivan Toney as clients who were routinely given to his younger, junior colleagues. These players were among the store's biggest spenders, with lavish spending sprees reportedly reaching up to £35,000 in a single visit.
"Premier League footballers were coming in and they were amongst the biggest spenders. They could drop between £10,000 and £35,000 a time," Mr Aslett said. He recalled one instance where Bukayo Saka spent over £10,000 on clothes for a Halloween party in October 2024.
Mr Aslett felt he was "effectively being penalised" as the lucrative appointments with young, affluent shoppers were consistently directed away from him.
From Iconic Dresses to an Employment Tribunal
Dean Aslett, nicknamed 'Mr Safety Pin', shot to fame after dressing Liz Hurley in the legendary black Versace dress fastened with large gold safety pins at a 1994 film premiere, an event that catapulted her to stardom alongside her then-boyfriend Hugh Grant.
Despite this prestigious background, Mr Aslett claims he faced discrimination from the beginning of his employment at Harvey Nichols, which started in January 2024. His tenure was short-lived, and he was let go in December of the same year.
He is now pursuing an employment tribunal case against the company for age discrimination. The case is scheduled to be heard in April of next year.
Harvey Nichols has been contacted for comment regarding the allegations.
