Sovran Star

Salon 1884 is a luxury fashion label based on West 39th Street in the Garment District of Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Its founder and owner Andrea Mary Marshall, 44, is a fashion designer and a self portrait artist known for dressing high-profile celebrities.

Andrea Mary Marshall

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Marshall launched Salon 1884 in 2021. Its website uses a sleek, minimalist design to promote itself as a sustainable company focused on “exceptional craftsmanship” and “environmentally conscious materials.”

The label’s high-end apparel is sold through major luxury retailers like Neiman Marcus, Moda Operandi and Net-A-Porter, featuring items like $490 leggings, a $4,990 lambskin jacket and a $6,490 lace dress. The brand has been featured in Vogue Magazine and worn by major celebrities including Cynthia Erivo, Julia Roberts and Katie Holmes.

Recently, Marshall was criminally charged with running an exploitative, sweatshop-like operation and withholding tens of thousands of dollars from her staff. She was arraigned in a Manhattan court, facing serious allegations of labor abuse and financial fraud.

Alvin Bragg

According to the office of Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, Marshall stands accused of stealing approximately $54,000 in wages from at least nine of her employees over the past three years. Prosecutors painted a starkly grim picture of the working conditions inside her studio in the Garment District. Despite the brand’s outward presentation of luxury, employees were allegedly subjected to grueling, extreme hours and a volatile workspace marked by fear, manipulation and verbal abuse, with the owner frequently screaming at and berating her staff.

The indictment reveals that seamstresses and other staffers were regularly forced to work overnight shifts and unpaid sessions lasting between 12 and 17 hours a day. In some instances, desperate employees logged upward of 100 hours in a single week. To avoid paying full wages, Marshall allegedly delayed payments or offered inadequate substitutes, such as partial payouts or clothing items instead of monetary compensation. Even when workers successfully obtained legal judgments against her in small claims court, she reportedly still refused to pay them.

Furthermore, Bragg’s office discovered that Marshall failed to register her business with the Department of Labor and neglected to carry legally mandated workers’ compensation insurance, leaving her employees unprotected in the event of an on-the-job injury. He emphasized that she purposefully targeted vulnerable individuals who lacked the financial stability to seek legal recourse.

“She preyed on the significant power imbalance of her employees who relied on the promised wages for housing and basic living expenses, feared retaliation, and lacked the financial resources to pursue legal recourse,” Bragg stated during a press conference. He added that hardworking New Yorkers deserve every dollar they earn.

Salon 1884

Heart-wrenching text messages released by prosecutors show workers practically begging for their money. In one exchange, a female employee pleaded for just half of her owed wages so she could send money to her children in Ecuador, a message that Marshall ignored. Another text featured an employee asking for financial relief to help an ill son, which also went unanswered. Conversely, when a third employee pressed for payment, the owner chillingly reprimanded them, barring them from her office and promising to mail a check instead.

The allegations extend beyond Marshall’s immediate staff; prosecutors claim she similarly stiffed independent contractors, including a pattern maker, a hairstylist and various modeling agencies. She allegedly assured these contractors that their money was forthcoming, only to withhold payment despite receiving multiple collection efforts and legal demands.

Following Marshall’s court appearance, where she was spotted wearing a white silk blouse and what appeared to be an $8,000 yellow gold Cartier Love bracelet, she pleaded not guilty to charges of grand larceny, a scheme to defraud, effective failure to secure compensation, and five counts of failure to pay labor law-mandated wages. Her company is facing identical charges. Shel was released without bail, and her next court date is scheduled for September 23, 2026.

While the luxury brand did not respond to requests for comment, Marshall’s defense attorney Corey Briskin expressed confidence that his client would be completely vindicated once a thorough investigation is completed. Meanwhile, Bragg noted that the investigation remains active and encouraged any other potential victims to contact the Worker Protection Unit at (646) 712-0298.