Superdry co-founder was my boss when he raped me

Figure caption, 'I felt like I was going to have the whole world against me,' says 'Gemma' Warning: You may find some of the graphic detail in this story disturbing A woman who was raped by Superdry co-founder James Holder has told the BBC she had been working for him at the time of the attack and had to return to work to face him just days later. Gemma, not her real name, was attacked by the disgraced fashion boss in her own home after Holder got into her taxi following work drinks on a Friday night in 2022. In an exclusive interview, she described feeling fear and dread on the following Monday morning as she walked into work at a new business Holder had launched after leaving Superdry in 2016. Asked whether he spoke to her that week, she said: "Yeah, he did. Very much like he would have spoken to me the week before. As if nothing had happened." Multi-millionaire Holder, 54, was jailed in May for eight years for raping Gemma, in what the court heard was a "despicable piece of sexual violence". If you have been affected by the details in this story, help and support can be found at the BBC Action Line. Due to her right to anonymity, Gemma's working relationship with Holder was unable to previously be reported. However, in her first media interview, Gemma revealed she had first worked for Holder at his fashion firm Superdry in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, before joining another one of his businesses. While at Superdry, she said she did not have any direct interaction with Holder, describing him as having an almost "celebrity-like" status. But when she later moved jobs to work at a new company he was launching, she said she became increasingly aware of his "controlling" behaviour. She described a work culture where there was "no room for mistakes" and everyone was on "high alert". "It certainly was a way of trying to command respect and a sort of allegiance to his agenda, for sure," she said. Figure caption, Watch: James Holder describes himself as like 'Mr Darcy' with women in a police interview The rape happened in May 2022, when a group of people from the company went for drinks at Gin and Juice, in Cheltenham. "It was just, you know, colleagues going out," Gemma said. "Early in the evening, there was nothing unusual… and then I would say later in the night, his [Holder's] behaviour sort of shifted." Towards the end of the night, a friend called Gemma a taxi, while another cab was called for Holder. But instead, Holder - who is married, with two children - got into Gemma's taxi uninvited. She told the BBC the plan was for her to get out at her address, while he would continue to his own home. But that did not happen and he ended up in her home. She said Holder initially fell asleep on her bed, but woke up and began beckoning Gemma, who was trying to sleep in the lounge. When she refused, he pulled her onto the bed and raped her. Image caption, During Holder's sentencing, Gemma told the court he had taken her choice, her dignity and her body The morning after, Gemma said she felt fearful for her future. "He's the person [who is] paying your wage every month," she said. "You don't know what Monday will bring. You don't know what Tuesday or Wednesday will bring. And for me, it was kind of more of a moment of being completely destabilised." Gemma said she was in "survival mode" when she returned to work. When Holder spoke to her, she said it was "as if nothing had happened". "It just shows him for what he is. It's a power trip." She said Holder was "accountable to no one". "He had free reign of his own behaviours and that's not unique to just this [industry], you think about with the movie industry as well over the last few years. "That sort of entitlement because they are in a position of power is incredibly dangerous in a work environment." Gemma said she was initially scared of what would happen if she reported Holder to the police, due to his "prevalence within the industry". "I felt there was certainly a risk that this would affect my future prospects in finding work," she added. Image caption, Gemma said she believes Holder's actions were enabled by the fashion industry Days after the rape, the business went into liquidation, something Gemma said was a "blessing in disguise". It meant she was free to report Holder, who was no longer her boss, and "the threat was taken away" from her livelihood. Gemma believes Holder's actions were enabled by the fashion industry. Last year, research by industry publication Drapers suggested that fashion retail employees consider sexual harassment a common workplace issue, with many reporting perpetrators were senior colleagues, often wielding power over the victim's career. "The leadership structure of most fashion brands are quite male dominated and then a lot of the working people are female," she said. "There's a level of control and there's a level of power and trust that just gets completely exploited. "It has been a culture wi

Superdry co-founder was my boss when he raped me

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