Sara Ziff, the founder of the Model Alliance, has called for business leaders in the modelling industry to be summoned before a US congressional committee to investigate how agencies may have facilitated the abuse carried out by Jeffrey Epstein.
Ziff, a former model, said bringing the heads of modelling companies before the House oversight committee was "totally appropriate". Her call follows the sending of a letter, signed by Ziff and more than 40 Epstein survivors, to New York attorney general Letitia James and congressmen Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, requesting an inquiry. The letter describes modelling agencies as "a pipeline through which vulnerable teenagers were regularly delivered to powerful predators", arguing that Epstein was not a lone offender but a beneficiary of a wider system.
The letter cites public records, survivor testimony and US Department of Justice files, and names several industry figures, including Faith Kates, who ran Next Management, the late Jean-Luc Brunel, an associate of Epstein who died in jail while under investigation for rape and trafficking of minors, and Gérald Marie, a former head of Elite Model Management's European division, who has been accused of rape by more than 15 former models.
Khanna said he would take the information to the oversight committee and would urge it to investigate and subpoena individuals from the modelling industry involved in Epstein's abuse. James and Massie did not respond to requests for comment.
The development comes nine months after the Model Alliance helped secure the passage of the New York Fashion Workers Act, which includes protections against harassment and retaliation, guarantees overtime and lunch breaks, and allows models to reclaim power of attorney. Ziff said the law was "one step toward prevention", but acknowledged it was not a "silver bullet" and is only enforceable in New York.
