To coincide with the start of Paris Fashion Week, six former models from all over the globe arrived in the city not to walk the runways, but to be questioned by officers from the Paris police department’s child protection section.
Among the accusations against Gérald Marie that will be addressed on Sept. 7 are rape and sexual misconduct. Gérald Marie was one of the most influential men in the fashion business for more than three decades and is now facing criminal charges. Mr. Marie, a former European head of Elite Model Management who was previously married to Linda Evangelista and who now resides in Ibiza, has long rejected the accusations levelled against him by at least 24 women over the course of many years.
Accusers of Marie have been asked to testify, a year after the inquiry was launched. At least 24 women have come forward with accusations of rape and sexual misconduct against Marie, according to the investigation. The organisation, which is led by American model Carré Sutton, has gotten a surge of support from high-profile colleagues in the business since its formation. “Enough is enough – I stand with Carré and the other survivors of Gérald Marie as they go to Paris to testify against their abuser,” Carla Bruni stated in an interview with The New York Times. “There is no sector that is immune to sexual abuse.” “There is a great deal of work to be done in France and across the globe to guarantee that women are safeguarded against sexual assault on the workplace,” she added.
More models came forward to express their support after being urged to do so by the non-profit fashion advocacy group Model Alliance. Helena Christensen stated that she stood by these “brave women all the way.” The actress also expressed her appreciation for people who had travelled to Paris to “relive some terrible experiences in order to stand up for a better industry and the women who haven’t been able to come forward,” while recalling how she had been trained to see “sexual harassment as a compliment.”
Karen Elson has also urged on businesses to join RESPECT, which is working to improve the model agency system that she publicly abandoned in 2017. Marie, who was previously married to Linda Evangelista and currently resides in Ibiza, has categorically rejected all of the accusations levelled against her. According to Ziff, “Carré was raped and trafficked as a youngster 30 years ago, and I know that similar abuse is still occurring in the industry now because we get calls from contemporary models via our assistance line.”
In a statement, Sutton, who filed a lawsuit against Mr. Marie in New York last month under the Child Victims Act, expressed her hope that the testimony of Mr. Marie’s accusers in Paris would inspire more victims to come forward and open the way for further criminal investigations.
