In a little over two decades, two brothers from Greenwich turned their small business selling neckties in Martha’s Vineyard into a multimillion-dollar business with nearly 100 retail outposts and an upscale product line that projects an image of New England coastal chic.
But a new lawsuit alleges that Vineyard Vines, whose breezy seersucker jackets, linen dresses and whale-adorned button-downs epitomize preppy style, was built on a culture that favored younger men over older women.
The age and gender discrimination lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Connecticut by Anne Dauer, a former senior vice president, also names Shep and Ian Murray, who founded the privately held company and serve as its co-CEOs.