Epstein and Victoria’s Secret: The L Brands Connection

Jeffrey Epstein’s deep relationship with Les Wexner — founder of L Brands and owner of Victoria’s Secret — gave Epstein operational connections to one of the world’s most prominent consumer brands. These connections went beyond mere financial proximity: evidence suggests the Victoria’s Secret brand was used in some instances as a tool to recruit young women into Epstein’s network.

The Structural Connection

From the late 1980s through the early 2000s, Epstein served as Wexner’s financial manager with sweeping Power of Attorney authority. This meant Epstein operated within Wexner’s business and personal empire, including through proximity to L Brands’ operations. He had access to Wexner’s professional network, including personnel at Victoria’s Secret and other L Brands brands.

The “VS Model Scout” Claim

Multiple victims and witnesses have described encounters in which Epstein, Maxwell, or their associates used claims of Victoria’s Secret involvement as a recruitment lure. Young women were told that access to the VS modeling world could be facilitated through Epstein’s connections to Wexner. In some accounts, women were told they were being considered for VS modeling contracts or would be introduced to VS executives.

Victoria’s Secret is one of the most recognized modeling platforms globally. For young aspiring models, the promise of VS association was a compelling lure — more credible, and more enticing, than a random request from an unknown businessman.

Virginia Giuffre and other victims have described versions of this scenario in various accounts and proceedings.

The Ghislaine Maxwell Angle

Ghislaine Maxwell had documented social connections to the fashion world that enhanced the credibility of VS-adjacent recruitment. Maxwell attended fashion events, knew designers and editors, and could credibly claim the connections she invoked. Her ability to operate as a seeming legitimate industry figure was a key component of her role in Epstein’s operation.

L Brands’ Response and Investigation

After Epstein’s 2019 arrest, L Brands and Victoria’s Secret faced significant media scrutiny. A New York Times investigation in 2020 documented in detail how Epstein’s name had been used in recruiting. The investigation found that multiple women had been told that Epstein was a VS connection.

L Brands commissioned an independent investigation into the Epstein-Wexner relationship and its implications. This investigation, by Paul Weiss, was limited in scope and its findings were not fully published.

Wexner’s September 2019 letter expressed no specific acknowledgment of the VS recruitment angle.

Wexner’s Departure and Brand Rebranding

Les Wexner stepped down as L Brands CEO in February 2020. In 2021, the private equity firm Sycamore Partners acquired Victoria’s Secret, separating it from the L Brands structure. Victoria’s Secret has since rebranded extensively, pivoting from its traditional sexualized marketing toward a more inclusive positioning — a change connected in part to the cultural reckoning around the brand’s association with Epstein’s network.

The Unanswered Question

Whether anyone at Victoria’s Secret or L Brands besides Wexner knew about or facilitated Epstein’s use of the VS name for recruitment purposes has not been definitively established through public investigation or litigation. L Brands took the position that Wexner was deceived by Epstein and that the company had no knowledge of or involvement in his activities.

Epstein and Victoria's Secret: The L Brands Connection