Victoria's Secret

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A major American lingerie retailer whose founder's ties to Jeffrey Epstein and a documented culture of workplace harassment have repeatedly overshadowed the brand.

Last updated June 4, 2026

Issues span:Human RightsLabor
  1. An FBI internal memo from 2019, released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, listed Victoria's Secret founder Les Wexner as a co-conspirator in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. Wexner had given Epstein power of attorney over his finances and properties for years, and testified before the House Oversight Committee in February 2026 denying knowledge of Epstein's crimes.nbcnews.com2026-02-18
  2. A New York Times investigation based on interviews with more than 30 current and former executives, employees, and models found that senior leadership presided over an entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying, and harassment. Models reported inappropriate physical conduct, retaliation for rejected advances, and discrimination based on body type, with complaints going unaddressed for years.nytimes.com2020-11-18
  3. A Thai factory supplying Victoria's Secret shut down without warning in March 2021, dismissing over 1,200 workers without severance pay or wages owed. Thai authorities ordered the factory's owner to pay $7.81 million within 30 days or face criminal charges, with labor advocates calling on Victoria's Secret and other sourcing brands to take responsibility for the conditions their purchasing practices help create.reuters.com2021-03-24
  4. Workers at a Sri Lankan factory producing clothes for Victoria's Secret were sent back to production lines while showing COVID-19 symptoms, triggering Sri Lanka's largest coronavirus outbreak and infecting more than 1,000 of the factory's 1,400 workers. Sri Lanka's attorney general ordered an investigation into whether the factory's owner had endangered human life through negligence.reuters.com2020-11-04
Lingerie & Underwear