Here's EVERYTHING that went down with Diet Sabya and TFM model agency who owes their talent over Rs 70 lakh

If you don’t already know, Diet Sabya is an anonymous fashion watchdog on Instagram who has not only managed to call out nepotism but also ended up helping people in need. How you may ask? Well, over the past years that he’s been active, he’s heard horrific workplace stories narrated by the employees of various companies and given them a platform and voice to talk about it. With the #Guts and #GandiCopy, he/she’s taking over the fashion world one scandalising post at a time. 

This time it’s back with yet another ‘Gate’ and this time to get models the monetary dues that they deserved. The scandal that went down last week, started off with a post on the DietSabya feed that read, ‘Over the last couple of months, we’ve gone back-and-forth between 20+ creatives (models, make-up artists etc) and their talent agency, TFM. Mumbai-based agency, TFM allegedly owes them lakhs of rupees in unpaid dues. Multiple rounds of clarifications later the fact remains unchanged: Money is still owed!’  Not just that, DS also said, ‘TFM has been pulling this stunt since 2018 (shocking!)’ 

While a video was also released that bore a compiled statements by models who worked from the agency claiming this was all true. Each model came forward and talked about how much money TFM owns them. 

Soon after this, Model Arlette Grao who was the agency’s talent for around two years from 2016 to 2018, claimed in Mid-day that the agency own over INR 70 lakhs to its 30+ models. She says she hasn’t received a penny of INR 8 lakhs that the agency owes her. Arlette also told Mid-Day, "I have bank statements to support this. I eventually quit the agency. I waited my contract period and cooling-off period before starting off as a freelance model. Once I started freelancing, I realised there are multiple models whose payments are stuck with the company." 

Long story short, in November 2018, she sent out a legal notice to the agency and they did not pay her claiming she breached a clause which she claims she didn’t. She also named a makeup artist, Donald Simrock who is reportedly to be paid INR 20 lakhs by the agency. Arlette, over the last two years also sent out two different legal notices, last being just before the COVID lockdown in February 2020. 

When Mid-Day reached out to the owner of the agency, Ashish Soni, he said, ‘We had responded to Arlette's legal notice and served her a show-cause notice thereafter due to breach of contract (details of which he didn't provide as the matter is subjudice).’ Adding to it, he also said, ‘I am not the solo player of the agency. This was set up 5 years ago. The business never made money. The foreign partner (parent brand) wanted to exit and at that time I had 40 per cent stake. They wanted to shut it down. I took on their debt and ensured that the models' income stays afloat. It was a liability and I have been running it for two years. Company records that are public will tell you that I haven't drawn a single salary from the company.’ 

As of now, all including Diet Sabya and the models have been blocked by the TFM account on Instagram and even messages are not going through on Whatsapp. 

Here’s everything we know till now and will keep you posted once there’s any momentum further. 

What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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