“If we are looking for a concrete way to address trafficking and assault, there is no better place to start than the 2.5 trillion dollar global fashion industry that acted as a referral pipeline for predators. To honor survivors and protect the next generation we must uncover the true extent of these recruitment schemes and the ties between this industry, Epstein, and the powerful people he was connected to. To do that we need the immediate and thorough investigations that survivors and the Model Alliance have called for by the Oversight Committee,” Model Alliance Director Sara Ziff said.  

Read Ziff’s Remarks: 

Good morning. I’m Sara Ziff, Director of Model Alliance – a nonprofit advocating for the fair treatment of fashion workers. 

I’m here on behalf of 40 survivors – including Sharlene and Marijke – who signed a letter the Model Alliance recently sent to the Congressman calling for an investigation into the ties between the modeling industry and Jeffrey Epstein. 

As a teenage model, I ended up sitting next to Jeffery Epstein at his pool in Florida. The trip that brought me to Florida was for a shoot orchestrated by my modeling agency, NEXT. 

Knowing what I do now, I doubt that was a coincidence. 

I wasn’t abused by Epstein, but I couldn’t escape the system built to send models – sometimes girls as young as 14 – directly to predators like Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and his associate Fabrizio Lombardo, who, when I was 19, raped me after a meeting my agent had arranged.  

The reason predators are routinely linked to underage models is because their modeling agencies served as that link.

Epstein had deep ties to NEXT’s co-founder Faith Kates, offering her multi-million dollar loans to buy an apartment and a stake in NEXT. In return she offered him quote ‘unconditional friendship’ and access to young models. 

Parisian agent Jean-Luc Brunel trafficked over 1,000 young women to Epstein, who gave Brunel a million dollars for his MC2 agency. Epstein also appears to have paid for models’ visas at ONE Model Management.

Modeling is seen as a glamorous industry. In reality, young models are uniquely vulnerable to agencies that are often their visa sponsor, landlord, power of attorney, and gatekeeper to opportunity. 

That power imbalance leaves models blind to the extortion and trafficking sending them directly into the arms of known rapists. 

This is systemic. If we are looking for a concrete way to address trafficking and assault, there is no better place to start than the 2.5 trillion dollar global industry that acted as a referral pipeline for predators. 

Regulations like those in the Fashion Workers Act the Model Alliance championed in New York are a critical advancement. 

But to honor survivors and protect the next generation we must also uncover the true extent of these recruitment schemes and the ties between this industry, Epstein, and the powerful people he was connected to. 

To do that we need the immediate and thorough investigation by the Oversight Committee that survivors and Congressman Khanna have called for. 

Thank you. 

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About the Model Alliance: The Model Alliance is committed to protecting the rights and well-being of workers throughout the fashion industry. Founded in 2012, the Model Alliance has advocated for fair treatment and equal opportunity in the fashion industry, including through landmark legislation, strategic research, and policy initiatives.