Almost exactly a year ago, on April 30, 2025, The Independent first reported that famed fashion designer Riccardo Tisci, most known for his time spent helming Givenchy and Burberry and for designing Met Gala gowns for Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian, was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a man in New York in June 2024. Now, nearly two years after the alleged assault, the Italian singer Alessandro Mahmoud, known by his stage name Mahmood, has been requested to give testimony, per court filings obtained by reporter Louis Pisano and shared on X.

The alleged victim, Patrick Cooper, claimed in the original suit last year that he believed he had been drugged by Tisci with a drink while at a restaurant in East Harlem, after which he awoke at the designer’s residence downtown, naked and disoriented, with no recollection of getting there. Cooper alleges that he met Tisci through a mutual friend, Michael Alexander, and that the designer, now 51, was accompanied by another friend, Mahmoud.

Cooper told The Independent that when he woke up, Tisci was kissing him. “I remember sipping the drink, and I don’t remember anything else,” Cooper said last year. He said when he called Tisci the next day, the designer insisted he didn’t remember him. “I told him, ‘How do you not remember me? I was at your house,’” Cooper said, after which he claimed the designer admitted to remembering him and told him that “nothing happened.” “‘I woke up naked,’” Cooper replied. “He said, ‘No, you had clothes on.’ And that’s when I knew,” Cooper said. He then retained a lawyer. (Tisci has denied the allegations.)

In the new court filing, Tisci issues a memorandum to invoke the Hague Convention and to order the oral examination of Mahmoud in Italy. Previously, according to the lawsuit, Tisci had requested that Mahmoud appear voluntarily for the deposition, which he declined to do. The argument suggests that Mahmoud is a first-hand witness who might be able to shed some light as to whether the drink of the plaintiff (Cooper) had been spiked. Additionally, Mahmoud’s testimony regarding Cooper’s conduct and condition prior to his blackout could be relevant to Tisci’s defense.

In a previously filed amended complaint, Cooper alleges that while at the restaurant, he had a single drink that was handed to him by Mahmoud that “was spiked with an incapacitating drug by Defendant [Tisci] or Mahmoud acting at Defendant’s direction,” reads the document.

Tisci, who was once very active on social media and known to have a lively social life, has cleared his Instagram, except for a single portrait of himself. He seems to have kept a low profile since the accusation, and it’s unclear if he still resides in the US. The lawsuit has not been covered in mainstream fashion and lifestyle magazines, likely due to Tisci’s high profile within fashion and his relations with some of its power players.

With this lawsuit, the Italian designer joins a lineup of starry fashion men who have been accused of sexual assault or harassment. The group includes fellow designer Alexander Wang and photographers Mario Testino, Bruce Weber, and Patrick Demarchelier, who died in 2022. (All of them denied the allegations. Weber settled with his accusers outside of court, while Wang later amended his denial.)

These names might not sound unfamiliar. Fashion as an industry is adverse to cancellation, in that many of its figures who’ve faced similar accusations continue to work. It’s something the community around fashion, its observers and fanatics, often contend with.

Wang, who was accused of sexual assault and misconduct by several male and transgender models in late 2020 and early 2021, initially denied all claims. Later, he met with some of his accusers, represented by the high-profile attorney Lisa Bloom. Wang issued an apology in March 2021 in which he said he regretted “acting in a way that caused them [his accusers] pain.” It is unclear if there was a settlement, as Bloom announced victims were “moving forward” on Twitter (now X).