British singer Leona Lewis has called out fashion designer Michael Costello on her Instagram stories for refusing to dress her during a 2014 charity fashion show due to her size. Lewis’ clapback comes amidst Costello’s claims that model Chrissy Teigen bullied him on social media and left him suicidal.
Lewis said that Costello was supposed to dress her for the 2014 Go Red for Women The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection show. Lewis was supposed to walk in the show for New York Fashion Week. She claimed when she flew to New York for the fitting with Costello and his team, they left her feeling embarrassed about her body.
The singer said that the dress they used in the fitting was a sample that didn’t fit and noted Costello and his team “cleary did not want to alter it,” to fit Lewis because she was not the size of a model. She said at the next fitting on the night before the show, Costello didn’t show up and refused to dress her. Lewis did not walk in the show as scheduled and was forced to watch from the audience, leaving her humiliated.
“I had to sit in the audience and was asked by press why I didn’t walk in the show. I remember having to come up with excuses as I was so humiliated by it all,” she said.
Lewis said that she didn’t want to discount what Costello went through with Teigen and wished him love and healing. However, she called him out for his history of bullying.
“The pot calling the kettle black in this situation doesn’t sit right with me. Bullying comes in many different forms,” said Lewis.
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Costello responded to Lewis in his Instagram stories that there must have been some miscommunication. He said that he was still a fan of hers and did not mean to hate on her. He also claimed that he has been asked by her team since 2014 to dress her.
“@LeonaLewis No dis no shade no hate, I love you and your music I still follow you but not sure what happened,” wrote Costello. “I’ve reached out to you personally and I have 7 emails from the last 4 years and these past 9 weeks from your team and stylist still requesting looks last email 05/17/21.”
“Leona I am still a fan and I am not coming for you. But let’s talk about what you were feeling about this dress I thought you were happy,” he continued.
“It’s bizarre how her attitude towards me shifted as soon as I spoke my truth in regards to Chrissy Teigen and others trying to blacklist me.”
That sounds like some shade to us, but Costello did show the singer some love in his comments.
“If we had known about the event more than 7 days in advance, which is the timeframe we had, we could have made something custom for Leona without a doubt. It was nothing personal towards Leona. The plan simply did not work out the way we intended. I have always offered to make something custom and special just for her. I am always here for her,” he concluded.
Just one day after Costello claimed that Teigen bullied him, fashion designer Maxie James claimed that Costello bullied her by calling her the N-word. According to The Shade Room, James accused him of calling her a Black n***** b*tch seven years ago.
James posted about the incident on her Instagram stories. On June 14, Costello claimed that he became suicidal after Teigen bullied him on social media by calling him a racist. Costello said that Teigen based her information on cyber slander against him that was false and eventually removed by Instagram.
The fashion designer also claimed that Teigen told him his career was over and blackballed him in the industry. He said he begged the model and her team not to believe a “false narrative,” but Teigen wouldn’t give him the time of day.
Costello said that he had suicidal thoughts after the “hollywood elite” blackballed him and sent goodbye letters to his family. Costello added that rather than reach out to him, Teigen and her team would rather laugh at his demise and posted her text messages where she said he deserved to die.
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The same day of Costello’s big reveal, Teigen apologized for her mean comments.
“There is simply no excuse for my past horrible tweets. My targets didn’t deserve them. No one does,” she wrote. “Many of them needed empathy, kindness, understanding and support, not my meanness masquerading as a kind of casual, edgy humor. I was a troll, full stop. And I am so sorry.”
Just one day later, James came forward with her experience with Costello calling her the N-word. She posted the accusation on Instagram.
“Michael Costello got the nerve to be playing victim of being bullied, but called his self bullying 7 years ago, and called me a “Black Ni**er Bit**” in a fabric store downtown he had the wrong one tho cus I most certainly whooped his a** almost went to jail too. Thank God for his mercy Cus I certainly LOST IT I never experienced racism before All I knew to do was FIGHT.”
James spoke to The Jasmine Brand about the encounter. Apparently, the reason Teigen called Costello a racist in the first place was from Costello calling James the N-word several years ago. It all started with James accusing Costello of buying one of her dresses and reselling as his own. He allegedly called her the N-word in the comments, prompting Teigen’s response. James said that she erased the thread after she learned that Costello’s kids were bing threatened.
A year or so later, she saw Costello at the fabric store. She said that he approached her and said, “Oh, I remember you. You’re the Black n***** b*tch that like tried to sabotage my business.”
The two began to argue and the confrontation became physical. She said that he grabbed her phone, threw it and shattered it, which prompted her to commence with beating his a**. The police came, but James said that witnesses told the police that he accosted James first. Neither James or Costello pressed charges.
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While Costello responded to Lewis’ accusations, he has yet to respond to James’ claims.
