Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James is draped in silver.
The Oscar-winning actress’s clothing company received a PPP loan between $ 350,000 and $ 1 million, according to the online database. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Draper James employed 44 people.
The influx of money was approved on April 11, 2020, just as the company came under fire for a gown giveaway gone wrong.
A representative for Draper James did not immediately return Page Six Style’s request for comment.
The brand wanted to thank the teachers for their tireless efforts during the pandemic and offered them a chance to win free dresses. Sadly, Draper James significantly underestimated the number of teachers who would be interested in the deal – a million of them – and couldn’t keep up with demand, as he planned to donate just 250 dresses.
Instead, Draper James offered teachers discounts between 20 and 30 percent.
“Out of 535 teachers on a social media page on FB, not even one received a free @draperjames dress! What in what ??” one person tweeted. “We all got codes for 20 codes. at 30% off. I can’t even afford the dresses at a discount! Great marketing ploy! “
Page Six Style later exclusively reported that Witherspoon donated to the nonprofit DonorsChoose to support teachers in three Southern cities following the Draper James collapse.
