HOUSTON • Guess chairman Paul Marciano will not be paid and has to stay away from the office.

The board of the apparel company has agreed that he should step away from the business until the completion of an investigation of sexual misdeed claims by model Kate Upton and other women, the company said on Tuesday.

Marciano, who is in his 60s, stepped down as chief executive of Guess in 2015, but held sway over it through his roles as co-founder, chairman and chief creative officer.

Upton revealed late last month that she had been sexually targeted. She later said in an interview with Time that Marciano had touched her inappropriately after she began shooting a Guess advertising campaign. At least four other women have accused him of sexual misconduct, including former Playboy Playmate Kristina Shannon and aspiring model Miranda Vee.

Marciano founded Guess with his three brothers in 1981. The brand's popularity caught on quickly, with its jeans becoming coveted for their signature washed style.

For more than three decades, Marciano ran marketing, which often featured Guess Girls in racy black-and-white advertising campaigns.

WASHINGTON POST