#SmallScreenScenes UNSEAMLY: THE INVESTIGATION OF PETER NYGÅRD EXPOSES FASHION MOGUL FROM RISE TO POWER TO RECENT ARREST
The true crime documentary thriller will be available to stream exclusively on discovery+ beginning February 12th–
“You have to learn how to make money, you have to learn how to keep money, and you have to learn how to spend money.” These words are attributed to the fashion mogul you’ve never heard of – the Canadian “King of Polyester,” Peter Nygård. Although he was never a household name, Nygård built an international fashion empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars and quickly learned how to spend the vast fortune he amassed. Nygård led an extravagant playboy lifestyle, constantly surrounded by beautiful, young women, and owned a set of lavish homes – including a massive six-acre estate he built in the Bahamas, designed to look like a Mayan temple. But hiding beneath the outlandish public persona, scores of women say, was a dangerous sexual predator who ‘practiced’ and ‘perfected’ the crime of sexual assault for decades. More than 80 women in the Bahamas, Canada and the United States have joined a class action lawsuit accusing Nygård and his companies of rape, sexual assault, and sex trafficking dating back to the 1970s. Their accusations have led to an investigation by the FBI and ultimately Nygård’s arrest this week in Canada for extradition to the United States. Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygård takes a deeper look into these accusations and explores Nygård’s life – from his humble beginnings, to his career in the fashion industry, and the public feud with a powerful neighbor that exposed the countless alleged sexual assault and trafficking allegations brought against him. All four episodes of Unseamly will be available to stream exclusively on discovery+ February 12th.
“Peter Nygård’s headline-making arrest this week is one of the final chapters in a shocking case that has been unfolding for decades,” says Lisa Holme, Group SVP Content and Commercial Strategy for discovery+. “Our partners at Blackfin have quietly worked for the last year to research and film the full scope of this story and we hope our documentary series shines a light on this important and developing case.”
In Unseamly, a dozen alleged victims come forward to share their stories of violent encounters with Nygård. From aspiring models claiming that they were brought in for fashion shoots and then assaulted to teenagers who say they were lured to Nygård’s Bahamian estate and held captive for days, the allegations against him span decades, and draw comparisons to the likes of Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. But it was at his own home, hidden behind the gates of his estate in the Bahamas, that Nygård allegedly drugged and assaulted countless women. He referred to the parties he threw as “pamper parties,” where he would invite women to spend the night drinking and dancing on his expansive property. Nygård allegedly used these parties as an opportunity to prey on vulnerable women, some underaged, who were invited on the promise of modeling jobs, a place to stay, or simply a good time. He allegedly used the staff he employed to convince the women to stay overnight, but when they were unsuccessful, accusers say, the staff resorted to drugging them.
The constant parties occurred much to the chagrin of Nygård’s neighbor, billionaire Louis Bacon. The feud between the two escalated over the years they spent as neighbors, and eventually Bacon and a not-for-profit he helped fund paid for investigations that uncovered the sexual allegations against Nygård. Unseamly features 19 exclusive interviews with accusers, journalists, attorneys, family members and former employees, who back up much of what the women say as well as telling their own harrowing accounts. Peter Nygård and his legal team vigorously deny all these accusations, despite his recent December 2020 arrest. Nygård had already stepped down from the company he built, and now he could lose much more. Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygård begins streaming February 12th on discovery+.
UNSEAMLY: THE INVESTIGATION OF PETER NYGÅRD is produced by Blackfin, an eOne company. Directed and executive produced for Blackfin by Geno McDermott and Stephanie Nanes, with Chris Hansen as executive producer and Emily M. Bernstein as showrunner. For discovery+, Pamela Deutsch is executive producer.
About discovery+
discovery+ is the definitive non-fiction, real life subscription streaming service. discovery+ will launch with a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans up to 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon. At launch in the U.S., discovery+ will have the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service, featuring a wide range of exclusive, original series across popular, passion verticals in which Discovery brands have a strong leadership position, including lifestyle and relationships; home and food; true crime; paranormal; adventure and natural history; as well as science, tech and the environment, and a slate of high-quality documentaries. For more, visit discoveryplus.com.
