A top model has been sued for £1.2million by a modelling agency which claims she ditched them after they made her famous.
Anais Mali is accused of suddenly leaving DNA Model Management for their rivals Next Management, according to a lawsuit.
Mali, 24, is accused of giving no explanation for breaking her exclusive contract to sign up with Next, which is said to ‘poach’ models from other agencies.
According to papers filed at Manhattan’s Supreme Court, Mali ‘bounced around’ several agencies including Ford before joining DNA in 2013.
The company invested heavily in the French national and sponsored her for a work visa in the US.
She has walked the runway for the likes of Vera Wang and Victoria’s Secret and recently became the face of Dolce & Gabbana cosmetics.
Mali has also appeared in Vogue and Allure magazines and she is currently ‘grossing seven figures’, the lawsuit states.
Her two year deal with DNA was renewed for another year in February but according to DNA’s lawyer Russell Shanks, she emailed the company last month saying she was ‘terminating’ their relationship.
Shanks added that there was ‘no rational reason or explanation’ for her behaviour.
He wrote in the lawsuit: ‘Currently, Mali is a highly sought after fashion model, almost exclusively as a result of DNA’s efforts…
‘…Mali’s modus operandi seems to be to change agencies on a whim, rarely if ever fulfilling her contracts, and rarely staying at an agency for an extended period of time.
‘In this industry, exclusivity and the binding nature of contracts between the agency and the talent are essential and the cornerstone of the business.’
DNA is demanding damages from Mali and also £1.2million damages from Next and its top recruiter, Kyle Hagler.