Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Timeline of Epstein's involvement with Victoria's Secret before 2019
Executive summary
Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Victoria’s Secret are indirect and center on his long personal and financial relationship with L Brands founder Leslie (Les) Wexner beginning in the mid-1980s; reporting says Epstein used that proximity to present himself as a “model recruiter” in the 1990s and to meet young women, with at least one alleged assault in 1997 [1] [2] [3]. Wexner and company spokespeople have said Epstein never formally worked for Victoria’s Secret and that Wexner confronted him about implying any company connection [4] [5].
1. How Epstein entered the orbit of Victoria’s Secret — the Wexner link
Jeffrey Epstein’s association with Victoria’s Secret flowed from his role as a financial adviser and close confidant to Leslie Wexner, founder of L Brands, which owned Victoria’s Secret; reporting traces their ties back to the mid-1980s and describes Epstein exercising unusually broad control over Wexner’s finances and assets [6] [7] [8]. News outlets report Epstein managed aspects of Wexner’s affairs, had power of attorney at times, and became a familiar figure around Victoria’s Secret events in the 1990s [6] [7].
2. The 1990s: “Posing as a recruiter” and model-targeting allegations
Multiple former executives and models say that as early as 1993 Epstein was portraying himself as a Victoria’s Secret talent scout; company executives learned of this and told Wexner in the mid‑1990s, according to The New York Times and Vanity Fair reporting [1] [9]. Those accounts say Epstein tried to involve himself with recruiting for the lucrative Victoria’s Secret catalog and that company policy was to source models through agencies, not individuals — which made Epstein’s activity troubling to L Brands executives [1].
3. Specific alleged incidents and the 1997 claim
At least one woman, model Alicia Arden, says Epstein lured her in 1997 under the pretense of a Victoria’s Secret catalog opportunity and then assaulted her; that allegation is recounted in reporting and in the Hulu docuseries coverage [3] [5]. The Atlantic and other outlets connect that alleged behavior to Epstein’s habit of using model-recruiter ruses to meet women [2].
4. Company response: “Never officially worked” and Wexner’s denial
Victoria’s Secret / L Brands spokespeople and Wexner’s representatives have emphasized that Epstein never officially worked for the company and that Wexner confronted him, forbidding him from suggesting any association with Victoria’s Secret [4] [5]. Reporting notes it is unclear how decisively the company acted in the 1990s after executives learned of Epstein’s conduct [1].
5. Continued proximity, property transfers, and later severing of ties
Reporting documents that Epstein’s relationship with Wexner continued into the late 1990s — including Epstein taking possession of a Manhattan mansion tied to Wexner and involvement with Wexner’s real estate and other assets — and that Wexner later said he severed ties around 2007 amid concerns Epstein had misappropriated funds [2] [10] [8]. There are published accounts that Wexner transferred property interests and that Epstein obtained significant access to Wexner’s world [8] [7].
6. How the 2019 revelations reframed the brand’s history
Epstein’s 2019 arrest and the New York Times exposé prompted renewed scrutiny of how Epstein’s proximity to Wexner and the brand may have facilitated his approaches to aspiring models; this scrutiny was amplified by documentaries and podcasts that collected executives’ and accusers’ memories spanning the 1990s and 2000s [1] [4] [11]. The reporting tied those revelations to broader critiques of Victoria’s Secret corporate culture and the brand’s decline in the #MeToo era [11].
7. What the published record does — and does not — say
Available sources consistently report Epstein never had an official Victoria’s Secret title but repeatedly posed as a recruiter and leveraged his Wexner connection to meet women; at least one alleged assault tied to a supposed Victoria’s Secret audition in 1997 is reported [4] [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention any internal Victoria’s Secret personnel files or explicit company records showing discipline of Epstein beyond Wexner’s later public statements and denials (not found in current reporting). Similarly, sources differ on how much L Brands executives acted in the 1990s after being alerted, with reporting calling the company’s response “unclear” [1].
8. Competing perspectives and potential agendas
Investigative outlets (The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic) present a pattern of proximity and alleged enabling; Wexner and company statements emphasize no formal employment and insist he forbade Epstein from implying any corporate ties [7] [4]. Documentary producers, former employees, and accusers stress corporate responsibility and a pattern of harms [5] [11]. Readers should note the vested interests: media investigations spotlight wrongdoing; Wexner and corporate spokespeople have an institutional and legal incentive to distance the company from criminal conduct.
Sources cited above: The New York Times [1] [12], Vanity Fair [9], The Atlantic [2], Vogue [3], Los Angeles Times [13], CNN [7] [4], Hulu documentary coverage and related reporting [5] [4], The Guardian [10], Rolling Stone and other outlets summarizing the post‑2019 fallout [11].