An Indian ethnic and fusion wear brand, Libas, is facing scrutiny after a former employee accused a senior executive of workplace harassment, prompting the company to initiate an internal review.
The allegations emerged after Sahifa Farooqi, a former fashion designer at Libas, shared a post on LinkedIn describing what she identified as a hostile work environment that ultimately led to her resignation.
In her post, Farooqi alleged that the behaviour stemmed from the company’s team head, Shivangi Jaiswal. She wrote that members of the design team were expected to replicate designs from other brands, leaving a little room for original work, and that verbal abuse was frequent. Farooqi also alleged that threats of physical harm were made, creating what she described as an atmosphere of intimidation.
“I recently left my position as a fashion designer at Libas due to what I experienced as unacceptable workplace conditions”.
Her post added, “It revolves around the head Designer, Shivangi Jaiswal, as she copied designs from other brands. Verbal abuse was frequent, with threats of physical harm like: ‘I’ll beat you’, ‘I am gonna slap you’, ‘You have no idea what I can do with you’, basically creating a hostile environment”.
Farooqi, who joined Libas in 2025, told Storyboard18 that the use of abusive language was commonplace within the design team. She said employees had raised concerns with the company’s human resources department in the past, but no corrective action was taken.
She said her decision to speak publicly was intended to raise awareness. At the same time, Farooqi described Libas as a “good brand”, noting that the company ensured timely salary payments and provided transportation facilities for employees.
Since the post was published, other former employees, mostlyfrom the design team, have come forward with similar allegations against Jaiswal.
Ritika Chauhan, a former employee at Libas, said she experienced unprofessional conduct within days of joining the company.
“The experience was traumatic, and I had to leave shortly after it became overwhelming,” she added, “It has been over a year, and seeing this happen again suggests the issue was never fully addressed”.
Another former employee, who requested anonymity, said that a significant number of staff members left the organization within a short span of time, estimating that 20 to 30 employees resigned over six months.
In a statement to Storyboard18, Libas’s head of human resources said the company was reviewing the matter internally. “The matter has been brought to our attention through the appropriate internal channels. We are listening carefully, and we have initiated an internal review to understand the matter in the right context and take appropriate steps”.
The company added that it remains committed to fostering a workplace that is grounded in dignity, respect, and psychological safety. “Employee experience can be deeply personal and sometimes shaped by peer-to-peer dynamics. Any communication or behaviour that causes distress is not aligned with the culture we strive to uphold, and added, ” We also want to be mindful that these situations are complex, and it would not be responsible to draw conclusions or assign blame in a public forum”.
The allegations come at a time when Libas reported continued financial pressures. According to the data from marketing intelligence platform Tracxn, Libas net loss widened in the fiscal year 2025, increasing to Rs 8.52 lakh from Rs 6.34 lakh in the previous year. EBITDA improved 38% year-on-year, narrowing to a loss of Rs 70,461.94 in FY25, while EBITDA margin stood at minus 4,624% in FY24.