J.C. Penney Pulls Russell Simmons Apparel Line After Allegations

(Bloomberg) -- J.C. Penney Co. pulled a Russell Simmons menswear line after the media mogul was accused by two women of sexual misconduct.

The department-store chain introduced the Simmons-created Argyleculture line in September 2016. The collection of sweaters, polos and blazers was part of the chain’s push to attract more young men to its stores. The products were being sold on J.C. Penney’s website and at about 80 of the chain’s 875 stores, according to a company spokeswoman.

“The company decided to discontinue selling Argyleculture in light of the recent allegations,” a spokeswoman said.

Simmons, co-founder of hip-hop record label Def Jam Recordings, said on Thursday that he would step down from his companies after a second woman -- screenwriter Jenny Lumet -- accused him of sexual misconduct, according to the Associated Press.

Simmons’ holdings include Rush Communications, yoga studio Tantris, energy drink Celsius and production company Def Pictures.

The brand’s products are still available on Amazon and EBay. Representatives for those companies didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Matt Townsend in New York at mtownsend9@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder, Lisa Wolfson

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