He was a Canadian fashion executive who’s retail empire has crumbled amid a series of sex assault charges going back more than 35 years.

The first trial of Peter Nygard is set to begin today in Toronto.

The 82 year old faces eight counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement in Toronto, allegedly involving 8 people at various times between 1987 and 2005.

The Toronto trial is the first of four jurisdictions where Nygard is slated to face charges.

The Finnish-born entrepreneur who founded the Nygard Group in Winnipeg in the late 1960s, and later became one of Canada’s wealthiest designers, is the subject of similar charges in Quebec, Manitoba and the United States, where he faces extradition.

None of the charges has been tested in court and Nygard has denied the allegations.