Miami Shuns Sackler Family: 'We Don't Want You Here'

By Paula Froelich, New York Post

09 February 20

 

he may have left Manhattan after scandal hit her family name, but life goes on for Joss Sackler as the controversial fashion designer forges a new life in Miami high society.

Joss, 34, and her 38-year-old husband, David — a third-generation member of the family which founded and owns Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin — were shunned by Manhattan society last year after the full horrors of the opioid epidemic came to light. (David Sackler served on Purdue’s board from 2012 to 2018 and managed a portion of the family’s money.)

Cultural institutions including the Met, American Museum of Natural History and the Guggenheim, as well as the Tate Modern and the Louvre rejected donations from the family, companies like J.P. Morgan dropped their business, and invites to galas dried up as fashionistas boycotted Joss’s LBV brand of clothing and accessories.

Now the Sacklers are hoping Florida will be more forgiving.

In September, the couple seemingly gave up, selling their New York City apartment for $6.5 million and moving their family to Palm Beach. (They also bought a $22.5 million Bel Air mansion in 2018.)

On Jan. 29 and 30, Joss hosted an event at the Bal Harbour Saks in Miami Beach to introduce LBV’s Spring 2020 collection. The invitations raised some eyebrows.

“There’s a man passed out in the photo!” one well-known Miami denizen described the invitation. “It’s absurd. That family caused the opioid crisis, and she sends out heroin-chic invites?”

A rep for Joss replied: “That description is ridiculous. The image would be appropriate for any high-fashion magazine and is part of a larger campaign ... for [the collection], in which the theme is power-dressing for strong women.”

A rep for Saks didn’t return ­requests for comment.

Miami socialite Jacquelynn Powers was so appalled she posted a call to arms on Facebook: “The #Sackler family, who are part of creating the devastating and deadly opioid crisis, are trying to make inroads into Miami. There is a moment going on right now between good and evil. Miami, let’s be on the right side of morality.”

While Joss’ Instagram account showed a photo of several women milling around LBV racks, seemingly at the event, one shopper who was there Thursday said attendance was low. “There was no staff from the collection. Not even the Saks staff [seemed to know] what was going on.”

“We have tons of photos of Joss at the events with customers,” Joss’ rep said, “so the source ... must have been confused.”

Joss sent a statement that read in part: “There is more focus on my last name than on the creative work we are ­doing ... I am not my husband’s family and in any event, his family has done nothing wrong.”

Meanwhile, Joss is working to bolster her business, apparently partnering with Neiman Marcus.

In December, LBV was featured in a Neiman Marcus holiday window in San Francisco. On January 21, Joss posted an Instagram video of LBV models walking a runway at the Neiman Marcus’ annual Splendor in the Garden fashion show, a philanthropic event at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Fla. (One Miami grande dame described it as “a bunch of desperate girls with hats on their heads.”)

Joss captioned the photo: “Bride+Bride in LBV Thank you @neimanmarcuscoralgables @margaretmerrittproductions.”

But in a confusing twist, a Neiman Marcus rep told The Post: “We do not sell LBV in store or online, nor did we host a luncheon featuring LBV.”

“LBV recently participated in several trunk shows with the retailer and multiple looks were included at the annual Splendor in the Garden event,” a spokesperson for LBV told The Post.

Joss has been hanging with Miami locals including musician Marcus Jade, LBV creative director Elizabeth Kennedy and socialite Sharon Naim Ourian. Publicist Nathalie Moar supported her by wearing LBV to the Grammys.

Joss is also organizing events for LBV Club Miami — the Florida outpost of the women-only social club she started in Manhattan in 2017. According to The Ladders, events have included a showroom visit with designer Prabal Gurung and a food-and-wine tasting with Michelin-starred chef Günter Seeger.

“You know how Miami is,” ­Michelle Payer commented on Powers’ Facebook post. “You have money, you throw a party, people will flock to be by your side even if you are shady.”

In early January, David’s cousin Mortimer, 47, and his wife Jacqueline, 42, sold their townhouse on East 75th Street to billionaire hedge funder Israel Englander for $38 million. According to Page Six, the couple recently notified friends via email that their family was hightailing it to the ritzy ski resort of Gstaad, in the Swiss Alps, for the winter.

The Sacklers deny allegations from the New York Attorney General’s Office that the family was shifting Purdue money through Swiss bank accounts and that they hid the sale of their townhouse.

“The Sacklers are persona non grata,” another Miami socialite told The Post. “They were kicked out of New York City and now trying to creep into Miami? It’s a shame that Saks and Neiman Marcus are endorsing them in any way, shape or form. After the worldwide [opioid] crisis they’re responsible for, it’s disgusting. We don’t want them here.”