Celeb hatmaker Eugenia Kim dismissed black, overweight people because only ‘white, blonde, skinny people’ play tennis: lawsuit

Aluxury hat maker whose pricey gear has been worn by Beyonce and Madonna allegedly rejected black and overweight people in a marketing campaign for a tennis fashion line, because “they don’t play” the sport, according to a lawsuit.

“It’s white, blonde, skinny people who play tennis,” Eugenia Kim insisted when challenged about a lack of diversity in the promotional material, her former marketing director claimed in court papers.

Bridgette Sena said when she and another employee planned to include a plus-sized black model in the photo shoots for the new Kim line, the boss became upset and later fired her for complaining.

“I don’t want to hire a black model for a tennis campaign!” Kim allegedly said. “I play tennis every day and I have never seen a black person. I can’t even think of a black person except Serena [Williams].”

Kim continued to protest the planned photo shoot, adding, “Why would I shoot an XL model? No one shoots an XL. I never see fat…uh XL, people play.”

Eugenia Kim allegedly told employees she didn’t want to use black people in a marketing campaign because, “They don’t play tennis.”Africa Studio – stock.adobe.com

After Sena, 47, objected to the April outburst she said Kim began excluding her from important meetings, slowly removed her responsibilities and falsely accused her of stealing company information in a bid to ruin her reputation, before firing her in June.

Kim is known for her $65 headbands, $200-plus hats and other luxe accessories. The tennis line Sena was allegedly working on hasn’t been released.

A lawyer for Sena declined comment.

Celebrity hatmaker Eugenia Kim allegedly told an employee the only black person she’d seen play tennis was Serena Williams. Charles Wenzelberg

“Ms. Sena’s employment was terminated based on cause, and we stand by this decision as supported by the facts,” a company spokesperson said. “Eugenia Kim operates as a fully inclusive, woman-owned, and minority-owned company. We are committed to creating a respectful environment for all individuals, irrespective of race, gender, gender identity, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, sexual identification, or disability. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of discrimination.”