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In hindsight, there were warning signs of things to come: the charismatic entrepreneur with a cult following who hires high-level talent away from more secure businesses, his dissatisfaction with design and his decision to do it himself, his annoyance that advertising agencies were unable to translate his passion to print ads, and his conclusion that advertising — like everything else — is a “do-it-yourself thing.”

Some of this renegade behaviour was shockingly effective. He soon had a presence in New York and London, and was the subject of forehead-slapping headlines such as this one in the U.K. Daily Mail: “Should you use HAND CREAM on your FACE? They’re up to three times cheaper yet often contain the same ingredients.”

But with success and growth came scandal and recrimination.

An employee called Miriam Mandel sued Truaxe in 2008 for wrongful dismissal and fraudulent misrepresentation after she took a job working for him at Euoko.

Mandel claimed Truaxe took her to dinner and promised she could run the Toronto head office in his absence as director of product strategy. But when she started, Truaxe “had little or no time for Mandel, other than to delegate small tasks,” her lawsuit said. She claimed she learned his promises were false and that he retained all control, even over how boxes were packed and how to reply to customer service emails.

A year and a half from now we’re going to be the size of Dolce & Gabbana Brandon Truaxe

Moreover, Truaxe was disrespectful and uncivil, engaging in inappropriate conduct “when something was not done to his liking,” she alleged. In this “poisonous” environment, he would berate employees, “constantly scream on the telephone,” and jump up and down, screaming in a high-pitched voice. Twice, he was verbally abusive to Mandel, she claims. Then, she was told there was not enough work to justify her salary, but not by Truaxe, who claimed to be “unable to face her,” according to Mandel.