Following Ed Razek’s resignation from lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret, more than 100 models have signed a letter to the company’s Chief Executive John Mehas, which urges the brand to create a "legally binding commitment" which would be put in place to protect models from sexual misconduct.
Business of Fashion reports that the petition by Model Alliance reads: “From the headlines about L Brands CEO Leslie Wexner’s close friend and associate, Jeffrey Epstein, to the allegations of sexual misconduct by photographers Timur Emek, David Bellemere and Greg Kadel, it is deeply disturbing that these men appear to have leveraged their working relationships with Victoria’s Secret to lure and abuse vulnerable girls,” and has already been signed by models like former VS angel Doutzen Kroes as well as Milla Jovovich, Christy Turlington, Gemma Ward and more. In addition to models, the petition has been backed by the Time’s Up initiative as well as industry names including Inez and Vinoodh.
The petition sets out to design a system called "Respect Programme" where models can report any problems they encounter during work, as well as a place to investigate complains and provide training and education on the subject. The companies sign the petition, and make a commitment to the rules and regulations of the contract, applying to all contractors including agents, photographers and anyone involved.
“Victoria’s Secret has the opportunity to be a leader, to use its power and influence to bring about the changes that are urgently needed in our industry,” continues the letter, encouraging the lingerie giant to take a step forward and address the matters.
It remains to see what will happen next, but make sure to watch this space as any updates surface. For more on the topic, see the full article over at Business of Fashion.
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