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Advertisements forpolo ralph lauren show a global populated by beautiful trust-fund families for their leafy estates. But exactly how far should a company head to propel that image into the public consciousness? A number of current and former employees say Polo crossed the line. Two onetime sales associates joined a class-action lawsuit this week alleging that image was, just, crafted illegally, by forcing salespeople to spend lots of money a year around the company's latest outfits to project a "lifestyle image." The hired help, to put it differently, struggled to keep the shirt on their backs, in spite of the in-house 65% discount. Accusations against the posh clothing company ring true for many salespeople, but few have their case to court, said Dean Friar, spokesman for California's Department of business Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Legal requirements says employers who require workers to wear uniforms must provide that wardrobe cost-free. "But we see, instead, discounts given out," Friar said. "That's very common." Industry experts, including representatives of your National Retail Federation, the largest retail trade organization on the earth, have never heard of a lawsuit like the one filed against Polo. They say salespeople are traditionally supposed to look presentable and sport a few of the designer's product, but no one reached because of the Times had discovered an employer forcing its staff obtain heavily in wardrobe. "This strikes me as being a unique lawsuit," said Peter Arnold, executive director of the Council of favor Designers of America. The complaint against Polo was filed in federal court last month in San Francisco by Toni Young, a 31-year-old sales associate. Attorneys for Polo have until Nov. 4 to respond to the complaint. When contacted with this story, Polo spokeswoman Ellen Maguire declared the business does not inquire into pending litigation. Plaintiff attorney Patrick R. Kitchin says Young, who earned $22,000 not too long ago, has receipts that show she was needed to spend more than $6,000 annually on Polo purchases since she began working at the store in 1997. "It's quite a number of money," he explained by phone from his office on the ralph lauren outletwhere Young still works. Young's lawsuit also alleges that Polo managers conducted "strip searches to make sure that all of their clothing is from the defendants' products." "They would ask Ms. Young to consider off her sweaters - she had a shirt on underneath - or lose her shoes, so they really could check the labels," Kitchin said. "In late August, all employees from the San Francisco store were told they needed five new outfits from the fall collection. They'd to come in wearing the outfits so they really may just be photographed and those photographs may very well be kept in a file sent on to headquarters in New York." Kitchin has posted the Web to attract additional plaintiffs. On the list of newest plaintiffs is 26-year-old Janika Goff, who worked with the same store as Young, where both Ralph Lauren Designer Clothes and Polo clothing is sold. Over 5yrs, she sold shoes and clothes full time and made about $24,000 per year. polo ralph lauren uk:Each season, she was entitled to an 80% discount off two pairs of shoes and a 65% discount off the rest, including the Polo clothes she was expected to wear daily. "They wanted you to maintain current season and wanted the shoes to look nice and not scuffed, but I used to be accumulating and down stairs, doing stock work sometimes, therefore i would buy comfortable shoes," said Goff, who now works at the bank in San Diego. Goff estimates any time a few years at Polo, she had accumulated 65 pairs of shoes, most of which she considers in great condition but that were too scuffed for store's management to take into consideration acceptable. When Goff got here in sandals some day, a manager made her choose a pair of loafers to wear. "The worth of $50 was deducted from my paycheck," Goff said. For Young, the store's expectations were clearly out of line in what she knew about retail. She had previously worked in the mid-range clothing chain Bebe while she worked toward a court stenographer's degree. "I did have to buy Bebe clothes, however they were a lot more lax about how current you'd to be," she said. "You could actually go to a secondhand store and buy a Bebe outfit for work rather than be questioned." Another former employee who confirmed he has joined Young's class-action lawsuit is Troy Greene, a former sales person for eight years at Polo on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Greene was earning $87,000 when he resigned last month more than a dispute about new payment structures. He was immediately hired by Prada, also on Rodeo Drive, gives its employees with uniforms - at no charge - that needs to be returned at the conclusion of each season. "We get two pairs of trousers, four dress shirts, four sweatshirts, two pairs of shoes and a belt. All purchased," said Greene, 40. "Gucci does the same." According to Young, Polo management received commissions on the "sales" they made to their staffs. Young, who's going to be black, also filed a racial discrimination suit against Polo in San Fran Superior Court last month. Kitchin says that in addition to being subject to cruel racial remarks by superiors, Young hasn't been promoted during her five-year career at the store, despite glowing reviews from managers. "She was shared with her hair was too nappy, and she necessary to straighten her hair," Kitchin said. "Managers call out to her using an exaggerated African American urban accent. They call her Ms. Thang.' " This is not the first tussle Polo has brought with its staff. In February, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said ralph lauren uk Clothing Corp. denied minorities the same pay and opportunities as whites while it promoted a "blond hair and blue eyes" image. The commission's conclusion was in connection with another lawsuit pending in federal court by two former Polo employees.