{"id":112701,"date":"2020-11-13T03:19:26","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T00:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/doctor-mike-calls-for-probe-of-scrubs-maker-figs\/"},"modified":"2020-11-13T03:19:26","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T00:19:26","slug":"doctor-mike-calls-for-probe-of-scrubs-maker-figs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/doctor-mike-calls-for-probe-of-scrubs-maker-figs\/","title":{"rendered":"#’Doctor Mike’ calls for probe of scrubs maker Figs"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#’Doctor Mike’ calls for probe of scrubs maker Figs<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n A celebrity doctor says he has been flooded with alarming social<\/a>-media messages about medical scrubs startup Figs \u2014 and now he\u2019s calling on the authorities to intervene, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Dr. Mikhail Varshavski \u2014 who was named People\u2019s \u201cSexiest Doctor Alive\u201d in 2015 and who has since become popularly known as \u201cDoctor Mike\u201d \u2014 wrote a letter to New York Attorney General<\/a> Letitia James and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra this week saying he\u2019s been inundated with complaints on social media about Figs, known for fashionable scrubs it sells directly to consumers.<\/p>\n

Varshavski called for a probe into Figs\u2019 \u201coverall business practices,\u201d including its advertising, its pricing practices and its \u201cThreads-for-Threads\u201d charitable initiative, which vows to give away one pair of Figs scrubs to a medical professional in need for each one sold in the US.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the integrity of their Threads-for-Threads program \u2026 could warrant an inquiry,\u201d the letter says, adding, \u201cthe many messages I have received from people familiar with Figs \u2014 those who have been customers and those who have worked there \u2014 signal larger problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShould your office have any interest in reading the messages or contacting the individual(s) who personally messaged me as part of any formal investigation, please do not hesitate to get in touch,\u201d the letter says.<\/p>\n

Varshavski, a family doctor in New Jersey with 13 million social media followers<\/a>, says the complaints started flooding in after he blasted Figs on YouTube and Instagram last month following a controversial ad that featured a female doctor reading a medical book upside down. Figs apologized for the ad.<\/p>\n

\u201cPast employees reached out to me and said this is the tip of the iceberg,\u201d Varshavski told The Post, which reported last week that Figs has been gearing up for an initial public offering, likely slated for early next year.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old doctor declined to provide specifics about the messages he\u2019s received, telling The Post that he\u2019s merely acting as an intermediary for the medical professionals who\u2019ve reached out to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a practicing physician and I don\u2019t have the resources to look into these claims,\u201d Varshavski said.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Mikhail Varshavski aka \u201cDoctor Mike\u201d<\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Figs\u2019 charitable program is separately being challenged in Los Angeles court documents filed this year by rival scrubs maker Strategic Partners Inc.<\/p>\n

In an amended complaint filed in August, SPI claimed Figs hasn\u2019t been donating the same antimicrobial scrubs that have made it popular on a one-for-one basis. \u201cRather, Figs has donated, if at all, lower cost scrubs that are different than the scrubs consumers are purchasing in the US.\u201d<\/p>\n

Figs has called SPI\u2019s lawsuit, which also claims that Figs stole its trade secrets, \u201ccompletely without merit.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Figs also blasted Varshavski\u2019s criticisms with a statement saying, \u201cWe are challenged to respond to a letter and allegations that we have not seen. Specifically regarding our Threads for Threads initiative \u2014 any accusation that this program operates in anything less than a gold standard is factually inaccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Varshavski says the company tried to work with him once after his brand skyrocketed on the \u201cSexiest Doctor Alive\u201d award \u2014 an incident he raises in the same Oct. 13 YouTube video that he says prompted so much feedback.<\/p>\n

Figs reps had reached out about using his social media platform \u2014 where he shares information about his life, alluring selfies, and medical advice \u2014 to sell its scrubs, he said. They couldn\u2019t reach a deal, but Figs used his image anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy lawyer sent them legal paperwork to stop,\u201d he told The Post, pointing to an Oct. 7, 2016, post that The Post confirmed was still on Figs\u2019 Facebook page as of Wednesday. The post, of \u201cDoctor Mike\u201d in a Figs top, was captioned: \u201cProving our scrubs tops fit even the biggest of muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Figs on Thursday removed the post.\n <\/p><\/div>\n