A well-known fashion podcaster is catching heat for a job listing that many are calling exploitative due to its heavy workload and low pay.
Recho Omondi, host of the hit style podcast The Cutting Room Floor—which has welcomed fashion heavyweights like Steve Madden and Law Roach—shared the listing on Aug. 25 for an Office Coordinator role. The description, which has since been taken down, outlined duties ranging from bookings and studio coordination to acting as Omondi’s personal assistant.
According to The Cut, the posting sought “someone highly organized, excellent at comms (both written & verbal), proactive, and ready to hit the ground running.” The catch? It was a full-time, in-person role in New York City from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a salary of $55,000 before tax—and no benefits.
After backlash, Omondi addressed the criticism in a TikTok live, admitting, “It’s not lost on me that that’s not a glamorous wage. You can’t be living lavishly,” but defended it as an opportunity for someone “who wants to come to New York and hustle in the early years of their career.”
While $55,000 is low for the demands of the job, it’s not unusual in the fashion world. Glassdoor lists Condé Nast’s median editorial assistant salary at $51,000, slightly under Omondi’s offer. However, ZipRecruiter reports the average Office Coordinator in NYC earns closer to $63,000.
Despite the uproar, interest in the role was high. A follow-up note on The Cutting Room Floor’s LinkedIn page read, “Thank you for all your submissions,” instructing applicants not to send any more resumes.
