Word got around that Rosen was some kind of fashion-biz guru who would freely dispense the lost wisdom of Seventh Avenue and would nudge his design partners back in line only if he felt they had strayed from their own path.

WSJ: A Homegrown Fashion Mogul

While popular wisdom is that any publicity is good publicity, academic research has largely shown that negative word of mouth hurts company brand and sales.

FORBES: Bad Publicity... and Charlie Sheen