1 00:00:01,168 --> 00:00:04,545 - Everybody knows what the Victoria's Secret brand means. 2 00:00:05,756 --> 00:00:07,048 - It's tits and glitz. 3 00:00:08,634 --> 00:00:11,219 - Les Wexner thought that he was a god. 4 00:00:11,220 --> 00:00:13,179 - Victoria's Secret put girls on the map. 5 00:00:13,180 --> 00:00:15,097 - Every celebrity wanted to be part of that show. 6 00:00:15,098 --> 00:00:16,724 - Business was so good. 7 00:00:16,725 --> 00:00:20,686 Victoria's Secret made fortunes on young bodies. 8 00:00:20,687 --> 00:00:22,647 It wasn't about the clothes. 9 00:00:22,648 --> 00:00:24,398 It was models fulfilling this idea of fantasy. 10 00:00:24,399 --> 00:00:26,652 There was something else going on. 11 00:00:27,361 --> 00:00:29,362 There's a number of red flags. 12 00:00:29,363 --> 00:00:32,823 The modeling industry had people who allowed bad things to happen. 13 00:00:32,824 --> 00:00:34,492 - Did Les Wexner know about them? 14 00:00:34,493 --> 00:00:36,786 - And there's this huge mystery. 15 00:00:36,787 --> 00:00:38,913 - People had mentioned this name. 16 00:00:38,914 --> 00:00:41,374 And part of the mystery was Jeffrey Epstein. 17 00:00:41,375 --> 00:00:43,793 What Wexner did was unthinkable, 18 00:00:43,794 --> 00:00:45,545 giving him power of attorney. 19 00:00:45,546 --> 00:00:47,964 But there's a larger picture here. 20 00:00:47,965 --> 00:00:49,841 Politicians, royalty. 21 00:00:49,842 --> 00:00:51,050 Intelligence agencies. 22 00:00:51,051 --> 00:00:52,468 Why was Epstein doing this? 23 00:00:52,469 --> 00:00:54,929 Was this about power and blackmail? 24 00:00:54,930 --> 00:00:57,766 - It makes you wonder how many more layers there are to this world. 25 00:00:58,559 --> 00:01:01,686 This is all a story that was meant to stay hidden. 26 00:01:18,078 --> 00:01:20,705 Okay, got it? Okay, thank you, everybody. Gigi, Gigi. 27 00:01:26,253 --> 00:01:28,255 Okay, they're done. Thank you, guys. 28 00:01:33,093 --> 00:01:36,220 - It's the countdown. Almost ready. Let's go. 29 00:01:36,221 --> 00:01:38,347 - Let's go. Thank you so much. - Let's go. Thank you. 30 00:01:38,348 --> 00:01:42,143 This is the 45-minute call for hair and makeup. 31 00:01:42,144 --> 00:01:43,770 Shit. 32 00:01:46,398 --> 00:01:49,234 Gimme a kiss. Thank you, honey. 33 00:01:52,738 --> 00:01:55,239 You get it after, so just hold now. 34 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,325 You have to get over. 35 00:01:57,326 --> 00:01:59,869 Beautiful. You look nice, guys. Beautiful. 36 00:01:59,870 --> 00:02:00,912 Look here. 37 00:02:00,913 --> 00:02:02,330 Okay, we're going higher, we're going higher... 38 00:02:02,331 --> 00:02:03,957 Hey, guys, move! 39 00:02:04,374 --> 00:02:07,002 - Ask Bob. Do not tell Bob to move. 40 00:02:09,630 --> 00:02:12,215 The lingerie brand held its first fashion show 41 00:02:12,216 --> 00:02:14,967 nearly a quarter century ago, and it's gonna be no more. 42 00:02:14,968 --> 00:02:16,219 The runway is closed. 43 00:02:16,220 --> 00:02:19,388 I'm talking about the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 44 00:02:19,389 --> 00:02:21,433 is now officially canceled. 45 00:02:22,684 --> 00:02:24,101 After more than two decades, 46 00:02:24,102 --> 00:02:27,564 the TV special is accused of being out of step with the times. 47 00:02:29,816 --> 00:02:31,609 So many people do not fit 48 00:02:31,610 --> 00:02:33,237 into that narrow standard of beauty. 49 00:02:34,071 --> 00:02:36,948 It's very obvious from what's going on in the world today 50 00:02:36,949 --> 00:02:38,908 that women are demanding more. 51 00:02:38,909 --> 00:02:41,035 It's a company that is not at all, 52 00:02:41,036 --> 00:02:44,873 sort of, surefooted in this new environment. 53 00:02:46,542 --> 00:02:49,627 It's hard to ignore some difficult questions 54 00:02:49,628 --> 00:02:52,421 about billionaire founder Les Wexner's ties 55 00:02:52,422 --> 00:02:54,632 to the late financier Epstein 56 00:02:54,633 --> 00:02:57,469 who was indicted on sex trafficking charges. 57 00:03:00,222 --> 00:03:03,225 I think what I've tried to do is make the world a better place. 58 00:03:04,309 --> 00:03:05,476 I think that's what's really important. 59 00:03:05,477 --> 00:03:09,273 N-Nobody remembers who sold the most togas in Rome. 60 00:03:09,940 --> 00:03:13,359 In terms of legacy, people remember the great villains 61 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,112 more than they remember the great heroes. 62 00:03:16,113 --> 00:03:18,030 And so, I think how you feel about yourself... 63 00:03:18,031 --> 00:03:21,326 What do you say about yourself when you put your head on the pillow? 64 00:03:23,328 --> 00:03:26,664 Are you really proud of what you're doing and the way you're doing it? 65 00:03:26,665 --> 00:03:29,293 I think it's a really... A fundamental question. 66 00:03:47,644 --> 00:03:50,479 First, there was the miracle, 67 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,481 then came angels. 68 00:03:52,482 --> 00:03:56,570 Now, Victoria's Secret introduces Angels 2000. 69 00:03:57,196 --> 00:03:59,740 - The bra of the future is here today. 70 00:04:01,450 --> 00:04:02,825 - Do you believe? - Do you believe? 71 00:04:02,826 --> 00:04:04,702 - Do you believe? - I believe in miracles. 72 00:04:04,703 --> 00:04:06,120 - I believe. - I believe. 73 00:04:06,121 --> 00:04:08,123 I believe... 74 00:04:17,758 --> 00:04:19,759 You know, Victoria's Secret, 75 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:21,677 there's a great history to it, 76 00:04:21,678 --> 00:04:25,306 but I think, uh, when we get to the heart of it, 77 00:04:25,307 --> 00:04:28,227 it's mostly an unknown story. 78 00:04:29,978 --> 00:04:32,396 A lot of people know what Victoria's Secret is, 79 00:04:32,397 --> 00:04:34,732 and even The Limited. 80 00:04:34,733 --> 00:04:38,611 Fewer people know about Les Wexner, 81 00:04:38,612 --> 00:04:42,115 the discreet billionaire behind those brands. 82 00:04:43,575 --> 00:04:46,870 He was and still is the richest man in Ohio. 83 00:04:47,871 --> 00:04:50,832 But no one really knew who he was. 84 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:53,626 Les was a genius. 85 00:04:53,627 --> 00:04:56,671 He thinks on a global scale 86 00:04:56,672 --> 00:04:59,882 that very few other entrepreneurs have, 87 00:04:59,883 --> 00:05:01,968 maybe Zuckerberg, you know? 88 00:05:01,969 --> 00:05:03,427 But, like, 89 00:05:03,428 --> 00:05:05,973 Zuckerberg wanted to be a part of everything we do socially. 90 00:05:06,473 --> 00:05:09,225 Les was all about retail dominance. 91 00:05:19,695 --> 00:05:24,031 You have to understand that this was an era where fashion influenced people, 92 00:05:24,032 --> 00:05:25,158 not the other way around. 93 00:05:25,409 --> 00:05:29,204 - Oh my god! Oh my god! 94 00:05:29,705 --> 00:05:35,334 - Victoria's Secret grew to a $7.5 billion 95 00:05:35,335 --> 00:05:38,379 enterprise worldwide. 96 00:05:38,380 --> 00:05:42,842 It became a very, very powerful brand, 97 00:05:42,843 --> 00:05:45,928 maybe the greatest in all of retailing. 98 00:05:50,517 --> 00:05:56,522 People used to say that working at Victoria's Secret was a cult. 99 00:05:56,523 --> 00:05:59,985 Um, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. 100 00:06:01,904 --> 00:06:05,531 But I'll tell you, at those annual meetings, 101 00:06:05,532 --> 00:06:07,867 you really felt the spirit. 102 00:06:14,499 --> 00:06:17,961 There was this tremendous adoration. 103 00:06:18,545 --> 00:06:23,717 The founder, the leader of us all 104 00:06:24,510 --> 00:06:26,260 was speaking. 105 00:06:29,431 --> 00:06:33,060 So... did I drink the Kool-Aid? 106 00:06:33,977 --> 00:06:37,189 And I think the answer is... I did. 107 00:06:42,361 --> 00:06:45,154 Growing up, Victoria's Secret would be 108 00:06:45,155 --> 00:06:47,281 a model's dream to be included, 109 00:06:47,282 --> 00:06:49,867 and that was 110 00:06:49,868 --> 00:06:53,330 like, um... a teenage fantasy. 111 00:06:55,082 --> 00:06:59,168 But I realized later that there are people 112 00:06:59,169 --> 00:07:01,046 who allowed a lot of bad things to happen. 113 00:07:06,134 --> 00:07:08,135 Fashion is essentially amoral. 114 00:07:08,136 --> 00:07:10,013 It doesn't care about good or bad. 115 00:07:10,556 --> 00:07:12,431 It has no ethics. 116 00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:13,851 It has one rule: 117 00:07:14,726 --> 00:07:15,936 sell the frock. 118 00:07:17,896 --> 00:07:20,524 No matter the collateral damage. 119 00:07:22,192 --> 00:07:25,027 So, it never really surprised me 120 00:07:25,028 --> 00:07:29,490 as the Jeffrey Epstein onion was unpeeled. 121 00:07:29,491 --> 00:07:32,368 What face was on the next layer of the onion? 122 00:07:32,369 --> 00:07:35,121 Oh, here's Les Wexner right at the top. 123 00:07:42,796 --> 00:07:44,005 The funny story I like telling, 124 00:07:44,006 --> 00:07:45,715 I, I was driving to Dayton 125 00:07:45,716 --> 00:07:49,010 and I was thinking about what other businesses I could start. 126 00:07:49,011 --> 00:07:53,181 And I remember saying every... All the women I know wear underwear 127 00:07:53,182 --> 00:07:54,557 most of the time, 128 00:07:54,558 --> 00:07:59,061 all of the women I know would like to wear lingerie all of the time. 129 00:07:59,062 --> 00:08:03,441 And I'm just driving, driving down the highway, laughing my butt off, 130 00:08:03,442 --> 00:08:05,861 and thinking what a funny thought that is. 131 00:08:07,029 --> 00:08:09,656 And so, I said, "I wonder why no one's done that." 132 00:08:11,283 --> 00:08:12,700 Victoria's Secret, 133 00:08:12,701 --> 00:08:16,662 a company started by Roy Raymond because he was embarrassed in stores 134 00:08:16,663 --> 00:08:18,706 buying lingerie for his wife, 135 00:08:18,707 --> 00:08:22,335 thought other men feeling the same would rather buy by catalog, 136 00:08:22,336 --> 00:08:27,341 so panties, bras, camisoles, and corsets in fine French silk. 137 00:08:28,884 --> 00:08:31,886 GAYE RAYMOND Victoria's Secret did start with just the two of us. 138 00:08:31,887 --> 00:08:35,848 And I don't know if people would be surprised by the fact 139 00:08:35,849 --> 00:08:38,685 that I was the inspiration for starting it. 140 00:08:41,230 --> 00:08:46,108 Les Wexner had contacted Roy over the years a couple of times 141 00:08:46,109 --> 00:08:51,156 because Les had always been interested in the lingerie concept. 142 00:08:52,950 --> 00:08:54,659 Victoria's Secret business, 143 00:08:54,660 --> 00:08:59,121 when Roy Raymond sold it to Les Wexner, 144 00:08:59,122 --> 00:09:00,957 was basically on its last legs. 145 00:09:00,958 --> 00:09:03,001 He was facing bankruptcy. 146 00:09:03,544 --> 00:09:06,796 It was, uh, kind of, Victorian velvet sofas 147 00:09:06,797 --> 00:09:09,550 and Tiffany lampshades kind of a place. 148 00:09:11,343 --> 00:09:15,556 So, in 1982, Roy and I flew to Columbus on their jet. 149 00:09:16,181 --> 00:09:20,185 Les Wexner was initially a little hard to read. 150 00:09:21,687 --> 00:09:25,815 A... I mean, he had an interesting group of men around him. 151 00:09:25,816 --> 00:09:28,068 Everybody around him was a man. 152 00:09:29,278 --> 00:09:32,488 The notion of Victoria should be a ladies' paradise. 153 00:09:32,489 --> 00:09:35,700 If men like Victoria's Secret, that's kind of a bonus, 154 00:09:35,701 --> 00:09:37,326 but in my imagination, 155 00:09:37,327 --> 00:09:40,497 they should feel in... uncomfortable when they're in the store. 156 00:09:41,331 --> 00:09:43,374 That thinking goes into the design of the store, 157 00:09:43,375 --> 00:09:45,918 the fitting rooms, the fabric, the display. 158 00:09:45,919 --> 00:09:49,548 It's all from the ladies' point of view. It's nothing to do with men. 159 00:09:51,717 --> 00:09:54,302 After the sale of Victoria's Secret, 160 00:09:54,303 --> 00:09:55,929 it became very different. 161 00:09:57,389 --> 00:10:00,433 Les had a very powerful vision 162 00:10:00,434 --> 00:10:02,560 for how that business could be grown, 163 00:10:02,561 --> 00:10:06,607 could become very dominant in the marketplace. 164 00:10:07,566 --> 00:10:11,986 His idea was to take an everyday commodity, 165 00:10:11,987 --> 00:10:13,988 like milk or bread, 166 00:10:13,989 --> 00:10:17,533 and romanticize it, fantasize it, 167 00:10:17,534 --> 00:10:20,162 make it something bigger than it was. 168 00:10:27,753 --> 00:10:31,255 Les had read a book written by 169 00:10:31,256 --> 00:10:36,511 the famous director Sidney Lumet called Making Movies, 170 00:10:36,512 --> 00:10:39,055 and said, "This is what you need to do. 171 00:10:39,056 --> 00:10:43,768 "You need to have a story about your brand 172 00:10:43,769 --> 00:10:48,397 "that you use as your, not only inspirational mechanism, 173 00:10:48,398 --> 00:10:50,567 but also, as your control mechanism." 174 00:10:52,778 --> 00:10:56,948 So, he invented a story 175 00:10:56,949 --> 00:11:00,993 about the mythical founder of the brand, 176 00:11:00,994 --> 00:11:04,122 and her name was, of course, Victoria. 177 00:11:07,376 --> 00:11:11,379 She was refined, aspirational, 178 00:11:11,380 --> 00:11:13,464 and English. 179 00:11:15,217 --> 00:11:17,802 I am Victoria Stewart White. 180 00:11:17,803 --> 00:11:20,806 This spring, I shall turn 36 years old. 181 00:11:21,431 --> 00:11:23,599 Father taught me about business, 182 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,269 but mother was determined that I develop 183 00:11:26,270 --> 00:11:30,648 my soul, my passion, and my femininity. 184 00:11:30,649 --> 00:11:32,942 Mother was passionate, 185 00:11:32,943 --> 00:11:35,319 a fiery French woman with a quick temper 186 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:39,448 and a healthy disrespect for the English and their stodgy ways. 187 00:11:39,449 --> 00:11:42,493 She used to tease Father about everything. 188 00:11:42,494 --> 00:11:46,455 Victoria's this smart, savvy woman, 189 00:11:46,456 --> 00:11:48,457 lived in London, 190 00:11:48,458 --> 00:11:50,836 her husband was a barrister. 191 00:11:52,546 --> 00:11:56,716 It was a fantastic story, and it was a very powerful tool. 192 00:11:56,717 --> 00:11:59,969 We're always running around, asking ourselves, 193 00:11:59,970 --> 00:12:02,471 "Would Victoria do this?" 194 00:12:02,472 --> 00:12:04,057 That was the touchstone. 195 00:12:05,517 --> 00:12:09,187 A new young assistant buyer joined the team, 196 00:12:09,188 --> 00:12:13,150 and she said, "Cindy, when do we get to meet Victoria?" 197 00:12:15,402 --> 00:12:19,614 That's how real and powerful the story was. 198 00:12:19,615 --> 00:12:20,781 Beautiful. 199 00:12:20,782 --> 00:12:24,243 Victoria's Secret is extremely protective of its image. 200 00:12:24,244 --> 00:12:26,454 It doesn't want to be mentioned in the same breath 201 00:12:26,455 --> 00:12:31,168 as Frederick's of Hollywood, or any, say, Trashy Lingerie store. 202 00:12:32,836 --> 00:12:35,588 Top models join the catalog's creative team 203 00:12:35,589 --> 00:12:38,217 in beautiful homes all around the country. 204 00:12:40,010 --> 00:12:43,554 But even in this spectacular Santa Barbara mansion, 205 00:12:43,555 --> 00:12:45,640 elaborate sets are erected 206 00:12:45,641 --> 00:12:48,809 to enhance every outfit that's about to be photographed. 207 00:12:48,810 --> 00:12:52,104 We like our pictures to be sensual, elegant, 208 00:12:52,105 --> 00:12:54,732 to be slightly more editorial than what most people 209 00:12:54,733 --> 00:12:56,901 perceive catalog photos to be. 210 00:12:56,902 --> 00:12:58,903 Yeah, right there. 211 00:12:58,904 --> 00:13:00,944 Keep your head down like that and just look up here. 212 00:13:01,907 --> 00:13:03,324 Great. 213 00:13:03,325 --> 00:13:06,202 The catalog taps into America's fantasies, 214 00:13:06,203 --> 00:13:07,828 a gorgeous setting, 215 00:13:07,829 --> 00:13:11,625 a place every woman would dream of having her morning coffee. 216 00:13:14,962 --> 00:13:17,255 We shot every other week almost, 217 00:13:17,256 --> 00:13:22,468 and we went to, uh, fantastic places around the world. 218 00:13:22,469 --> 00:13:26,556 And Victoria's Secret became this home brand, 219 00:13:26,557 --> 00:13:29,768 the catalog came into the mail every week. 220 00:13:30,269 --> 00:13:32,103 - The catalog, in particular this year, 221 00:13:32,104 --> 00:13:35,107 is going to pick up close to double last year's business. 222 00:13:37,860 --> 00:13:41,153 The minute we shifted to the English image, 223 00:13:41,154 --> 00:13:43,782 the response rates rocketed up. 224 00:13:45,075 --> 00:13:49,078 The volume of the business then was around three million, 225 00:13:49,079 --> 00:13:52,415 and when I left in 2000, 226 00:13:52,416 --> 00:13:54,585 it was just shy of a billion. 227 00:13:56,044 --> 00:13:58,171 The way that they presented 228 00:13:58,172 --> 00:14:00,047 the photography with the catalog, 229 00:14:00,048 --> 00:14:03,343 with the... with all the great girls, um, 230 00:14:03,969 --> 00:14:05,052 it was chic, 231 00:14:05,053 --> 00:14:09,349 and we actually empowered women to own their bodies. 232 00:14:11,185 --> 00:14:14,937 - They made it acceptable for mainstream women 233 00:14:14,938 --> 00:14:18,942 to want to buy and covet underwear. 234 00:14:19,776 --> 00:14:23,614 They were givin' women permission to, to treat themselves. 235 00:14:25,699 --> 00:14:29,702 The catalog was being mailed aggressively, 236 00:14:29,703 --> 00:14:33,080 going directly into consumers' homes 237 00:14:33,081 --> 00:14:37,711 and acting as an advertising vehicle that made money. 238 00:14:38,170 --> 00:14:41,005 The catalogs are certainly really, you know, 239 00:14:41,006 --> 00:14:42,882 provocative, and fun, and great... - Yeah. 240 00:14:42,883 --> 00:14:44,759 - And men like to read them, too. - Yes. 241 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:46,802 - Um, has that been really a big part of the marketing 242 00:14:46,803 --> 00:14:49,055 of this company and the success? - No question, no question. 243 00:14:49,056 --> 00:14:53,977 Uh, the, the catalog, I think, is, is the best advertising for the business. 244 00:14:54,561 --> 00:14:57,396 I will say, you know, the free underwear card, 245 00:14:57,397 --> 00:14:59,440 which was in every catalog, 246 00:14:59,441 --> 00:15:02,068 "Bring this into the store and get a free pair of underwear," 247 00:15:02,069 --> 00:15:04,071 I succumbed to that almost every time. 248 00:15:06,323 --> 00:15:07,949 I brought that card into the store, 249 00:15:07,950 --> 00:15:09,325 I'd buy a few bras, 250 00:15:09,326 --> 00:15:11,286 I did what that company wanted me to do. 251 00:15:14,289 --> 00:15:16,707 Spinning a fantasy, 252 00:15:16,708 --> 00:15:18,501 telling a story, 253 00:15:18,502 --> 00:15:20,920 is that really different 254 00:15:20,921 --> 00:15:24,382 from the retail shopping experience? 255 00:15:24,383 --> 00:15:28,344 When people bought the lingerie, 256 00:15:28,345 --> 00:15:30,847 whether they knew it or not, 257 00:15:30,848 --> 00:15:34,101 they were buying into that fantasy. 258 00:15:35,435 --> 00:15:37,186 Our mental model in building 259 00:15:37,187 --> 00:15:40,565 the Victoria's Secret brand is Ralph Lauren. 260 00:15:40,566 --> 00:15:44,110 Today, if you talk about Ralph Lauren to men or to women, 261 00:15:44,111 --> 00:15:47,655 virtually of any age, everybody knows what that brand means. 262 00:15:47,656 --> 00:15:50,867 I, I would venture to say all of us in the room 263 00:15:50,868 --> 00:15:54,120 have a very clear sense of the personality of that brand. 264 00:15:54,121 --> 00:15:56,123 It's vivid in your mind. 265 00:15:57,207 --> 00:16:02,378 Les was always a strong admirer 266 00:16:02,379 --> 00:16:04,547 of Ralph Lauren, 267 00:16:04,548 --> 00:16:09,511 and what Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lifshitz from the Bronx, 268 00:16:10,053 --> 00:16:15,516 was able to achieve in terms of his own personal lifestyle 269 00:16:15,517 --> 00:16:18,145 and the brand he built. 270 00:16:19,313 --> 00:16:24,400 To a generation of American Jews, like Les Wexners, 271 00:16:24,401 --> 00:16:28,529 Ralph Lauren was a story of, you know, remaking oneself 272 00:16:28,530 --> 00:16:30,990 into the kinds of people who belonged to golf clubs, 273 00:16:30,991 --> 00:16:35,453 you know, these other, sorts of, ritzy places where Jews in America, 274 00:16:35,454 --> 00:16:37,581 once upon a time, were barred from. 275 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:41,709 - I don't know whether... I was an upper lower class, 276 00:16:41,710 --> 00:16:44,253 or a lower middle class kind of kid growing up, 277 00:16:44,254 --> 00:16:46,756 but, uh, parents were working. 278 00:16:46,757 --> 00:16:49,050 Uh, most of the houses we lived in were rented 279 00:16:49,051 --> 00:16:50,968 because we couldn't afford... 280 00:16:50,969 --> 00:16:52,971 Parents couldn't afford to buy a house. 281 00:16:54,848 --> 00:16:59,478 Les wanted an aspirational lifestyle, 282 00:17:00,187 --> 00:17:03,190 something different than how he grew up. 283 00:17:06,193 --> 00:17:09,862 Columbus, Ohio, test city, USA. 284 00:17:09,863 --> 00:17:12,698 For the past two decades, American business has tested 285 00:17:12,699 --> 00:17:14,992 more of its products in Columbus 286 00:17:14,993 --> 00:17:17,996 than in any other major American community. 287 00:17:20,332 --> 00:17:22,750 Columbus was very clean-cut, 288 00:17:22,751 --> 00:17:24,962 very Republican, 289 00:17:25,504 --> 00:17:30,634 and was a bastion of WASP conservatism. 290 00:17:31,051 --> 00:17:34,471 You know, there was an undercurrent of antisemitism. 291 00:17:35,430 --> 00:17:40,644 Les had a sense of a little bit of inferiority. 292 00:17:41,061 --> 00:17:44,313 That's part of this whole psychology 293 00:17:44,314 --> 00:17:47,109 where Les really feels like, 294 00:17:48,026 --> 00:17:49,570 "I'm gonna show them." 295 00:17:54,408 --> 00:17:57,159 When I was about 13 or 14 years old, 296 00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:58,787 my dad got fired. 297 00:17:59,580 --> 00:18:02,540 And I can remember so vividly, 298 00:18:02,541 --> 00:18:04,709 say, "This is never gonna happen to me. 299 00:18:04,710 --> 00:18:07,337 "When I grow up, I'm not gonna get fired. 300 00:18:08,297 --> 00:18:10,132 I'm not gonna fail." 301 00:18:12,009 --> 00:18:15,261 After Les's father, Harry, was fired, 302 00:18:15,262 --> 00:18:19,515 he opened a full-service women's dress shop 303 00:18:19,516 --> 00:18:22,019 named after Les, Leslie's. 304 00:18:23,312 --> 00:18:25,855 After a few years working with his parents, 305 00:18:25,856 --> 00:18:28,149 Wexner came to his father with an idea. 306 00:18:28,150 --> 00:18:32,778 Why not focus on women's sportswear, the store's best-selling item? 307 00:18:32,779 --> 00:18:36,200 His dad's response? "You'll never be a merchant." 308 00:18:37,576 --> 00:18:40,870 Les wasn't shy about telling audiences 309 00:18:40,871 --> 00:18:44,832 that his dad challenged him, and basically, said to him, 310 00:18:44,833 --> 00:18:46,710 "You will not be a success." 311 00:18:47,961 --> 00:18:52,006 Uh, that's quite a, uh... stringent comment coming from a dad. 312 00:18:52,007 --> 00:18:55,885 - It got so intense that my dad and I didn't talk for a whole year. 313 00:18:55,886 --> 00:18:57,470 And, uh, my dad had a... 314 00:18:57,471 --> 00:19:01,140 Wexner borrows $5,000 from his Aunt Ida 315 00:19:01,141 --> 00:19:05,145 to set out on his own, and he opens his own store. 316 00:19:06,104 --> 00:19:10,107 And he called it, because of the limited selection, 317 00:19:10,108 --> 00:19:12,027 The Limited. 318 00:19:14,655 --> 00:19:16,531 Wexner's gamble paid off 319 00:19:16,532 --> 00:19:19,534 with profits that exceeded his expectations. 320 00:19:19,535 --> 00:19:21,410 And just three years later, 321 00:19:21,411 --> 00:19:24,497 his parents closed their shop and joined their son. 322 00:19:24,498 --> 00:19:29,293 By 1982, The Limited was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 323 00:19:29,294 --> 00:19:30,795 Store was successful. 324 00:19:30,796 --> 00:19:33,799 And by the time I was 30 years old, 325 00:19:34,550 --> 00:19:36,760 I was several times a millionaire. 326 00:19:37,302 --> 00:19:38,929 And it kept expanding. 327 00:19:45,018 --> 00:19:49,146 Les started with one little store in Columbus, Ohio, 328 00:19:49,147 --> 00:19:51,983 and grew that business into 329 00:19:51,984 --> 00:19:56,112 12 or 14 brands that dominated 330 00:19:56,113 --> 00:19:58,532 the malls of America. 331 00:20:01,994 --> 00:20:06,038 - There was this great expression in the '80s fashion business. 332 00:20:06,039 --> 00:20:11,460 "If you sell to the classes, you go to work with the masses." 333 00:20:11,461 --> 00:20:12,879 If you sell to rich people, 334 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,506 you're gonna take the subway to your office. 335 00:20:15,507 --> 00:20:17,216 But if you sell to the masses, 336 00:20:17,217 --> 00:20:19,510 then you travel with the classes. 337 00:20:19,511 --> 00:20:22,680 If you were a mall retailer, like Les Wexner, 338 00:20:22,681 --> 00:20:26,434 you were gonna get incredibly rich if you had a knack for it, 339 00:20:26,435 --> 00:20:28,812 which, clearly, the guy did. 340 00:20:30,731 --> 00:20:35,360 - He created clothes for every demographic from cradle to grave. 341 00:20:40,282 --> 00:20:42,742 And the thing that Wexner figured out was, 342 00:20:42,743 --> 00:20:46,245 is that women were shopping in the mall two and three times a week. 343 00:20:46,246 --> 00:20:49,415 He wanted to make certain that every time they came in that store, 344 00:20:49,416 --> 00:20:51,042 they were gonna see some novelty, 345 00:20:51,043 --> 00:20:53,337 where the store felt like it was brand new and fresh. 346 00:20:58,175 --> 00:21:00,552 Les Wexner invented fast fashion. 347 00:21:01,803 --> 00:21:06,474 He is the guy who figured out how to make Americans 348 00:21:06,475 --> 00:21:08,060 shop, shop, shop, shop, shop. 349 00:21:08,852 --> 00:21:14,357 - Just the same way Jeff Bezos has revolutionized shopping, 350 00:21:14,358 --> 00:21:17,235 the brands that Wexner started, 351 00:21:17,236 --> 00:21:21,532 Victoria's Secret being one of the most successful, 352 00:21:22,115 --> 00:21:24,868 revolutionized those malls. 353 00:21:27,996 --> 00:21:30,831 In the '80s, it was all status-driven, 354 00:21:30,832 --> 00:21:32,959 going into the mall. 355 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:36,754 And today, what people are doing on social media is very similar. 356 00:21:36,755 --> 00:21:38,298 It taps into that impulse. 357 00:21:40,050 --> 00:21:42,677 The mall is like Instagram 1.0 358 00:21:42,678 --> 00:21:45,805 in the sense that it's where people go to show off 359 00:21:45,806 --> 00:21:49,184 and display themselves, and that's a pursuit of status. 360 00:21:53,981 --> 00:21:59,069 - Les always said that the world designs for us, 361 00:21:59,653 --> 00:22:04,490 and it was the merchant's job to edit from all the stuff that was in the world 362 00:22:04,491 --> 00:22:06,952 for the customer that we were targeting. 363 00:22:08,787 --> 00:22:11,789 So, the way we would accomplish this 364 00:22:11,790 --> 00:22:16,295 is by shopping various fashion meccas frequently. 365 00:22:17,504 --> 00:22:20,674 We were always shopping London and Paris, obviously, 366 00:22:21,425 --> 00:22:22,968 also Rome, 367 00:22:23,969 --> 00:22:25,303 Milan. 368 00:22:25,304 --> 00:22:27,430 Oh, and I can't forget, 369 00:22:27,431 --> 00:22:30,141 we also shopped the south of France in the summer. 370 00:22:30,142 --> 00:22:33,437 Nice, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, oh gosh. 371 00:22:34,771 --> 00:22:37,773 And the way we were able to do this, 372 00:22:37,774 --> 00:22:42,069 there was a fleet, small fleet, of private jets. 373 00:22:42,070 --> 00:22:45,782 You cannot imagine how much time that saved us. 374 00:22:48,076 --> 00:22:52,288 - Typically, other competitors would go twice a year, 375 00:22:52,289 --> 00:22:54,540 but we went more often. 376 00:22:54,541 --> 00:22:57,211 At least six times a year, you would go. 377 00:22:58,212 --> 00:23:00,547 It's called shopping the stores. 378 00:23:00,923 --> 00:23:04,343 Shopping the stores is going to look for shit that you can copy. 379 00:23:05,469 --> 00:23:09,430 All employees were taught the L Brand's way, 380 00:23:09,431 --> 00:23:13,684 the core ideals and beliefs of our founder, Les Wexner, 381 00:23:13,685 --> 00:23:17,022 that amateurs borrow and professionals steal. 382 00:23:18,232 --> 00:23:21,901 Taking something that's popular in Europe, 383 00:23:21,902 --> 00:23:25,279 make a tiny little change here, a tiny little change there. 384 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:29,200 If originally it was in cashmere, you sell it in acrylic. 385 00:23:29,201 --> 00:23:32,537 If originally it was $800, you sell it for $35, 386 00:23:32,538 --> 00:23:36,165 and boom, you know, any girl who can afford a fashion magazine 387 00:23:36,166 --> 00:23:38,836 can now afford the most fashionable sweater of the season. 388 00:23:41,547 --> 00:23:43,005 And in their brilliance, 389 00:23:43,006 --> 00:23:47,009 The Limited even created a label for their knockoffs. 390 00:23:47,010 --> 00:23:51,431 They made it sound as if it was an Italian designer named Forenza. 391 00:24:01,483 --> 00:24:06,487 The Forenza sweater was the aspirational sweater 392 00:24:06,488 --> 00:24:11,534 for my seventh and eighth grade years in the, in the mid-'80s. 393 00:24:11,535 --> 00:24:15,122 All the cool girls, the popular girls, wore their Forenza sweaters. 394 00:24:15,914 --> 00:24:19,167 Over three million sweaters were sold, 395 00:24:19,168 --> 00:24:23,338 making it the most successful sweater to ever hit America. 396 00:24:25,465 --> 00:24:28,801 - It's all of a piece with what turns into the cerulean blue sweater 397 00:24:28,802 --> 00:24:32,013 that Miranda Priestly berates her assistant over 398 00:24:32,014 --> 00:24:33,640 in The Devil Wears Prada. 399 00:24:34,141 --> 00:24:37,018 - What you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue. 400 00:24:37,019 --> 00:24:39,770 It's not turquoise. It's not lapis. 401 00:24:39,771 --> 00:24:41,981 It's actually cerulean. 402 00:24:41,982 --> 00:24:45,776 And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that... in 2002, 403 00:24:45,777 --> 00:24:48,529 Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. 404 00:24:48,530 --> 00:24:50,281 And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn't it, 405 00:24:50,282 --> 00:24:53,034 who showed cerulean military jackets? 406 00:24:53,035 --> 00:24:56,579 And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores 407 00:24:56,580 --> 00:24:59,790 and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner 408 00:24:59,791 --> 00:25:03,669 where you no doubt fished it out of some clearance bin. 409 00:25:03,670 --> 00:25:07,256 It's the sweater that built the empire 410 00:25:07,257 --> 00:25:11,719 is how it's been described and very, very accurately. 411 00:25:18,977 --> 00:25:23,440 - Les knew that inventories had to be refreshed quickly. 412 00:25:24,691 --> 00:25:30,363 And the quickest way to do that was through sourcing that he controlled, 413 00:25:30,364 --> 00:25:33,534 would put him ahead of the other retailers. 414 00:25:34,618 --> 00:25:38,663 Les became aware that if he wanted to make 415 00:25:38,664 --> 00:25:41,165 really huge profit margins, 416 00:25:41,166 --> 00:25:45,002 he was going to have to have merchandise 417 00:25:45,003 --> 00:25:50,467 manufactured in places where... wages were considerably lower. 418 00:25:51,426 --> 00:25:53,177 We were the first American company 419 00:25:53,178 --> 00:25:55,263 to do business in the PRC, 420 00:25:55,264 --> 00:25:59,268 before the United States government had consular relations with China. 421 00:26:04,064 --> 00:26:06,524 A lot of the business was based in Hong Kong, 422 00:26:06,525 --> 00:26:09,026 and then they would cross the border 423 00:26:09,027 --> 00:26:11,571 where the factories were with the poorer people 424 00:26:11,572 --> 00:26:14,323 making, you know, probably 15 cents an hour, 425 00:26:14,324 --> 00:26:15,533 making these sweaters, 426 00:26:15,534 --> 00:26:18,370 which is how you could afford to sell them for 35. 427 00:26:19,454 --> 00:26:21,414 They could control everything... 428 00:26:21,415 --> 00:26:23,457 Manufacturing, prices. 429 00:26:23,458 --> 00:26:24,542 They created this. 430 00:26:24,543 --> 00:26:27,003 They did it on a grand scale, 431 00:26:27,004 --> 00:26:28,713 created this great empire. 432 00:26:28,714 --> 00:26:31,465 The magic of The Limited and Victoria's Secret 433 00:26:31,466 --> 00:26:36,971 is that you've got a $3 billion, 2,500-store operation 434 00:26:36,972 --> 00:26:39,056 that can literally do in four weeks 435 00:26:39,057 --> 00:26:42,477 what it takes most of their big competitors nine months to do. 436 00:26:46,273 --> 00:26:49,901 I remember Les was taking some criticism 437 00:26:49,902 --> 00:26:53,738 for doing so much of his sourcing overseas, 438 00:26:53,739 --> 00:26:57,326 and so, he was putting forward a concept, "Make it in America." 439 00:26:57,826 --> 00:27:02,246 And at the kickoff meeting, an older woman shouted out, 440 00:27:02,247 --> 00:27:04,291 "It'll never work!" 441 00:27:04,791 --> 00:27:06,835 And I was shocked. 442 00:27:07,377 --> 00:27:10,380 It was Bella, his mother. 443 00:27:13,342 --> 00:27:17,178 - I think it takes it a, a very unusual... parent 444 00:27:17,179 --> 00:27:20,181 to encourage a kid to start his own business, 445 00:27:20,182 --> 00:27:21,182 and to keep saying, you know, 446 00:27:21,183 --> 00:27:23,309 "You can do it, you can do it, you can do it." 447 00:27:23,310 --> 00:27:24,520 - He liked it. 448 00:27:25,020 --> 00:27:26,854 He liked the rag business, 449 00:27:26,855 --> 00:27:30,316 used to go with Daddy to, uh, unpack the shipments on Sunday 450 00:27:30,317 --> 00:27:31,944 and hand him the hangers. 451 00:27:32,778 --> 00:27:34,445 Les and his mother, Bella, 452 00:27:34,446 --> 00:27:36,781 were very, very close for years. 453 00:27:36,782 --> 00:27:38,741 A longtime executive told us that 454 00:27:38,742 --> 00:27:41,370 they were basically married to one another. 455 00:27:42,162 --> 00:27:43,996 As the years transpired, 456 00:27:43,997 --> 00:27:48,292 Les kept Harry and Bella close to him, 457 00:27:48,293 --> 00:27:53,381 and they both were on the board of The Limited. 458 00:27:53,382 --> 00:27:59,137 And famously, Bella's office was right across the hall from Les's. 459 00:28:02,391 --> 00:28:04,685 You felt that there was a foundation there 460 00:28:05,185 --> 00:28:08,188 that you could build on, and that's what you did. 461 00:28:09,857 --> 00:28:12,024 That's just, just, just what happened. 462 00:28:12,025 --> 00:28:15,695 And that, that confidence, I think that you inherit that 463 00:28:15,696 --> 00:28:17,613 s-somewhere in the genes, 464 00:28:17,614 --> 00:28:20,074 that you inherit those qua... You do. 465 00:28:20,075 --> 00:28:22,159 I think the important thing, the message is, 466 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,581 is you must have confidence in yourself that you can do it. 467 00:28:26,582 --> 00:28:29,084 I can do it, and I will do it. 468 00:28:34,631 --> 00:28:39,385 - When I reflect back on my 13 years at Victoria's Secret, 469 00:28:39,386 --> 00:28:41,804 I always tell people that I felt like I went 470 00:28:41,805 --> 00:28:44,141 to the Ivy League school of retailing. 471 00:28:47,603 --> 00:28:51,230 Everything about how Les approached the business 472 00:28:51,231 --> 00:28:55,318 from ideations around innovation, and new materials, 473 00:28:55,319 --> 00:28:57,321 and product categories, 474 00:28:58,071 --> 00:28:59,907 that was Les's vision. 475 00:29:01,783 --> 00:29:03,993 I loved how overly thought-out it was. 476 00:29:03,994 --> 00:29:05,828 It was like, here's the plan, 477 00:29:05,829 --> 00:29:07,163 here's the pathway, 478 00:29:07,164 --> 00:29:09,290 here's how we're gonna convert clients. 479 00:29:09,291 --> 00:29:10,708 We're gonna get them in the fitting room. 480 00:29:10,709 --> 00:29:12,586 Once they're in the fitting room, they're ours. 481 00:29:13,795 --> 00:29:17,382 So, throw as much at them to expand that sale. 482 00:29:18,926 --> 00:29:20,726 I obviously drunk the Kool-Aid and I loved it. 483 00:29:27,309 --> 00:29:30,811 Initially, Victoria's Secret did no, you know, 484 00:29:30,812 --> 00:29:32,396 traditional advertising. 485 00:29:32,397 --> 00:29:34,815 In fact, Les Wexner did not believe in advertising 486 00:29:34,816 --> 00:29:38,986 because his attitude was, you've got a showcase in the mall 487 00:29:38,987 --> 00:29:40,780 with all these great windows 488 00:29:40,781 --> 00:29:42,991 and you really didn't need to advertise. 489 00:29:43,534 --> 00:29:45,952 It was Ed Razek who started that system, 490 00:29:45,953 --> 00:29:50,039 and he got that working like a fine-tuned modern marketing machine. 491 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:54,086 He was, like, number two to Les Wexner, and they kinda worked hand-in-glove. 492 00:29:54,753 --> 00:29:57,046 In a matter of months, we went from the idea of, 493 00:29:57,047 --> 00:29:59,674 could we get on a radio program in a local market 494 00:29:59,675 --> 00:30:03,678 to being on every national entertainment news program. 495 00:30:03,679 --> 00:30:06,055 And I think that in the future, you're gonna have a combination of media 496 00:30:06,056 --> 00:30:09,308 that includes every sophisticated 497 00:30:09,309 --> 00:30:11,811 kind of extension that a brand can have, 498 00:30:11,812 --> 00:30:14,355 and if you don't use 'em, it'll... it will be at your peril. 499 00:30:14,356 --> 00:30:16,358 You really have to have all the components. 500 00:30:22,447 --> 00:30:25,116 At the time, even though Victoria's Secret 501 00:30:25,117 --> 00:30:28,536 was a very respectable company throughout the country, 502 00:30:28,537 --> 00:30:29,996 and had a great image, 503 00:30:29,997 --> 00:30:33,082 if you worked in fashion as a model, 504 00:30:33,083 --> 00:30:35,210 um, it is not the booking you wanted. 505 00:30:37,004 --> 00:30:40,006 If you were a Victoria's Secret contract girl, that basically meant 506 00:30:40,007 --> 00:30:42,425 your Vogue days were over, 507 00:30:42,426 --> 00:30:43,759 your high-fashion career was over. 508 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:47,346 It was basically where models went to die, but make a ton of money. 509 00:30:47,347 --> 00:30:48,764 Hi, Santa. 510 00:30:48,765 --> 00:30:49,891 - Can you blame me? 511 00:30:49,892 --> 00:30:51,559 In the earlier years, 512 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:53,936 it was kinda tough to get models 513 00:30:53,937 --> 00:30:56,480 who were willing to model lingerie. 514 00:30:56,481 --> 00:30:58,650 It wasn't easy, but we did it. 515 00:30:59,234 --> 00:31:01,527 Stephanie Seymour, who is now and was then 516 00:31:01,528 --> 00:31:03,946 a very major international model, 517 00:31:03,947 --> 00:31:06,657 started... working with Victoria's Secret. 518 00:31:06,658 --> 00:31:11,204 I think that legitimized our, um, our brand and our business, 519 00:31:11,205 --> 00:31:14,625 and allowed other girls to get into the business. 520 00:31:16,168 --> 00:31:19,003 The models were lending 521 00:31:19,004 --> 00:31:23,132 their status to our brand. 522 00:31:23,133 --> 00:31:25,885 - You know, it has helped me enormous. It has helped them. 523 00:31:25,886 --> 00:31:29,180 I've been, uh, a good spokesperson for them and vice versa. 524 00:31:29,181 --> 00:31:32,643 So, it's been a good... It is very good team. 525 00:31:34,478 --> 00:31:39,649 The '80s, and really, the mid-'90s, was a time when models had a name. 526 00:31:39,650 --> 00:31:43,486 We were suddenly... We were Frederique. We were Stephanie. 527 00:31:43,487 --> 00:31:45,238 We were these supermodels, 528 00:31:45,239 --> 00:31:48,866 and Victoria's Secret was very early on in saying, 529 00:31:48,867 --> 00:31:52,496 "We're... stepping on this bandwagon." 530 00:31:53,455 --> 00:31:58,251 Co-opting the formula from designer fashion 531 00:31:58,252 --> 00:32:00,962 was... pretty brilliant 532 00:32:00,963 --> 00:32:03,548 because it equated 533 00:32:03,549 --> 00:32:07,176 panties and bras with high fashion, 534 00:32:07,177 --> 00:32:11,305 and it does slowly serve to 535 00:32:11,306 --> 00:32:13,725 raise Victoria's Secret profile. 536 00:32:15,143 --> 00:32:16,686 A couple of years ago, 537 00:32:16,687 --> 00:32:19,188 Les presented the idea to all the CEOs 538 00:32:19,189 --> 00:32:21,524 about considering a fashion show 539 00:32:21,525 --> 00:32:26,697 as a part of the general business strategy and several of the brand personalities. 540 00:32:27,197 --> 00:32:30,616 It really seemed that it was right for Victoria's Secret. 541 00:32:30,617 --> 00:32:32,410 What a phenomenon Victoria's Secret is 542 00:32:32,411 --> 00:32:34,829 and how this catalog's become the thing 543 00:32:34,830 --> 00:32:37,582 that either every man is dying to see on his coffee table, 544 00:32:37,583 --> 00:32:40,459 or every woman, sort of, aspires to, you know, look that way, 545 00:32:40,460 --> 00:32:42,128 or be, sort of, a Victoria's Secret woman. 546 00:32:42,129 --> 00:32:43,713 And I think it'll be really interesting tonight 547 00:32:43,714 --> 00:32:46,341 to see the actual catalog come to life. 548 00:32:48,010 --> 00:32:51,929 I cast the very first Victoria's Secret fashion show, 549 00:32:51,930 --> 00:32:55,433 and it was a totally bold idea to have a show for a lingerie brand 550 00:32:55,434 --> 00:32:59,687 because there was nothing else like that at the time. 551 00:32:59,688 --> 00:33:01,731 They saw it as a marketing tool because they thought 552 00:33:01,732 --> 00:33:04,817 this is how we can get the face of our brand out there. 553 00:33:04,818 --> 00:33:09,030 - Maybe 15 years ago, if a woman had a half a dozen bras 554 00:33:09,031 --> 00:33:10,907 and a half a dozen pairs of panties, 555 00:33:10,908 --> 00:33:12,283 she thought she was covered. 556 00:33:12,284 --> 00:33:15,536 It was, it was basically the man's approach to underwear. 557 00:33:15,537 --> 00:33:17,705 And, uh, and point of fact, that's not true anymore. 558 00:33:17,706 --> 00:33:20,542 It's a very different business than it was just a few years ago. 559 00:33:22,419 --> 00:33:24,463 I'm about to rehearse Beverly Peele, 560 00:33:24,963 --> 00:33:26,965 which is a very exciting moment in my life. 561 00:33:28,008 --> 00:33:30,551 She could probably rehearse me. 562 00:33:30,552 --> 00:33:33,554 - You knew this is gonna be on Times Square? - Yeah, I just heard that. 563 00:33:33,555 --> 00:33:35,097 - I didn't know that... - What time are we on Times Square? 564 00:33:35,098 --> 00:33:37,017 We're gonna be on Times Square, oh my god! 565 00:33:37,434 --> 00:33:39,936 - How do y... How do you feel, Ingrid? 566 00:33:39,937 --> 00:33:41,563 How do you feel? You feel great? 567 00:33:43,857 --> 00:33:45,483 Back in 1995, 568 00:33:45,484 --> 00:33:50,030 I was hired to do the first show for Victoria's Secret. 569 00:33:51,031 --> 00:33:54,283 In the '90s, I was one of the top stylists. 570 00:33:54,284 --> 00:33:56,286 I was working with Miu Miu, 571 00:33:56,787 --> 00:33:58,913 I was working with Versace. 572 00:33:58,914 --> 00:34:00,665 Victoria's Secret, for me, was this, 573 00:34:00,666 --> 00:34:03,668 sort of, patriarchal company in the mass market. 574 00:34:03,669 --> 00:34:05,419 I thought it was almost a paradox 575 00:34:05,420 --> 00:34:09,883 that they asked me to come and style for it. 576 00:34:10,425 --> 00:34:13,010 Everything we said, it was a mantra. 577 00:34:13,011 --> 00:34:16,055 This is a fashion business, a fashion brand, 578 00:34:16,056 --> 00:34:19,685 and this is a fashion show to show our latest fashion. 579 00:34:24,773 --> 00:34:26,148 One thing that was really important 580 00:34:26,149 --> 00:34:27,775 at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 581 00:34:27,776 --> 00:34:31,779 is that there were a lotta guys there because this was tits and glitz. 582 00:34:31,780 --> 00:34:35,157 - Okay, what brought you here? - What brought me here to this show 583 00:34:35,158 --> 00:34:38,703 is the exact same thing that brought this guy here. 584 00:34:38,704 --> 00:34:39,954 - Are you hosting the show? 585 00:34:39,955 --> 00:34:42,874 - Lookin' forward to it, uh, since the moment I heard about it. 586 00:34:42,875 --> 00:34:44,917 - And your intentions are purely innocent? 587 00:34:44,918 --> 00:34:48,130 - Of course, I'm really here just for the cultural enrichment of it all. 588 00:34:48,630 --> 00:34:50,631 Are you a fan of Victoria's Secret? 589 00:34:50,632 --> 00:34:53,009 - Isn't every red-blooded man a fan of Victoria's Secret? 590 00:34:53,010 --> 00:34:54,427 So many men. 591 00:34:54,428 --> 00:34:56,680 I've never seen so many men at a fashion show. 592 00:34:57,306 --> 00:34:58,598 I guess every person, 593 00:34:58,599 --> 00:35:01,393 they, they dress their woman in Victoria's Secret 594 00:35:02,769 --> 00:35:05,814 that they believe that their woman winds up looking like Frederique. 595 00:35:06,899 --> 00:35:09,567 - The fashion show was very unique 596 00:35:09,568 --> 00:35:13,321 because it wasn't a show where you're showing to buyers. 597 00:35:23,582 --> 00:35:26,001 If you use all the right elements, 598 00:35:26,710 --> 00:35:30,923 what you get is a sensation, and that's what they did. 599 00:35:32,216 --> 00:35:37,679 Victoria's Secret became itself something to know. 600 00:35:42,100 --> 00:35:44,227 I think it was brilliant, 601 00:35:44,228 --> 00:35:47,647 but it was definitely, for me personally, 602 00:35:47,648 --> 00:35:49,608 quite exposing. 603 00:35:52,194 --> 00:35:56,948 I was happy to leave, go home, and cry in a bathtub. 604 00:35:56,949 --> 00:35:58,866 And say, "God, I got that over with." 605 00:36:14,383 --> 00:36:17,593 Despite Les Wexner's incredible wealth 606 00:36:17,594 --> 00:36:19,470 and incredible success, 607 00:36:19,471 --> 00:36:23,850 Wexner was an individual running his huge company 608 00:36:23,851 --> 00:36:27,103 out of the middle of Ohio. 609 00:36:27,104 --> 00:36:31,148 This was far away from the movers and the shakers 610 00:36:31,149 --> 00:36:33,777 and the social scene of New York. 611 00:36:34,903 --> 00:36:37,989 Back in the '80s, it was a great moment 612 00:36:37,990 --> 00:36:41,742 for what was the tippy-top of American fashion. 613 00:36:41,743 --> 00:36:43,494 And at the same time, 614 00:36:43,495 --> 00:36:48,375 you had the arrival of an entire new billionaire class. 615 00:36:49,793 --> 00:36:52,796 So, you could be a thug, like a Trump, 616 00:36:53,630 --> 00:36:56,716 but you still, because of your money and your spending, 617 00:36:56,717 --> 00:36:59,344 you could be part of nouvelle society. 618 00:37:04,766 --> 00:37:10,021 Wexner had the advantage of coming to New York astonishingly rich, 619 00:37:10,022 --> 00:37:12,940 and almost immediately thereafter, 620 00:37:12,941 --> 00:37:16,486 Wexner ends up buying Henri Bendel's. 621 00:37:17,946 --> 00:37:19,572 I worked at Henri Bendel 622 00:37:19,573 --> 00:37:22,408 in this jewel box lingerie section 623 00:37:22,409 --> 00:37:26,330 where the most influential women in the world shop. 624 00:37:27,706 --> 00:37:30,625 The announcement that we had been purchased 625 00:37:30,626 --> 00:37:34,630 by The Limited Inc. was shocking. 626 00:37:35,964 --> 00:37:38,216 - He wanted that New York cache, 627 00:37:38,217 --> 00:37:40,677 and that was a way to buy into it. 628 00:37:44,890 --> 00:37:49,144 - The city was, kind of, "Huh?" They were aghast. 629 00:37:55,859 --> 00:38:01,490 - He invited Jackie Onassis to the christening of the store. 630 00:38:03,784 --> 00:38:05,076 All the photographers were there. 631 00:38:05,077 --> 00:38:07,620 This was a big paparazzi moment 632 00:38:07,621 --> 00:38:11,332 because he wanted that respect 633 00:38:11,333 --> 00:38:16,337 with New York society and high-fashion New York. 634 00:38:16,338 --> 00:38:18,858 This was something that, obviously, was really important to him. 635 00:38:23,136 --> 00:38:25,888 Anytime, when you see a socialite like that 636 00:38:25,889 --> 00:38:28,432 paired with a retailer like Les Wexner, 637 00:38:28,433 --> 00:38:31,352 it's understood that someone has written out 638 00:38:31,353 --> 00:38:34,356 a very big check to their favorite charity. 639 00:38:41,405 --> 00:38:44,157 Wexner is coming in from the Midwest 640 00:38:44,741 --> 00:38:47,869 and he's intimidated by this New York society 641 00:38:47,870 --> 00:38:51,455 that he can't quite dominate the way he can in Columbus. 642 00:38:51,456 --> 00:38:56,252 And you can see how he might benefit from a translator, 643 00:38:56,253 --> 00:38:58,004 or someone who can, kind of, 644 00:38:58,005 --> 00:39:01,549 take his elbow and lead him into the right rooms, 645 00:39:01,550 --> 00:39:04,178 and the right charities, and the right parties. 646 00:39:09,057 --> 00:39:13,687 - This was about the time Jeffrey Epstein came into Wexner's life. 647 00:39:18,233 --> 00:39:20,067 Jeffrey Epstein was a college dropout 648 00:39:20,068 --> 00:39:22,069 who somehow managed to get a job teaching 649 00:39:22,070 --> 00:39:25,281 at the very prestigious prep school Dalton in New York, 650 00:39:25,282 --> 00:39:27,366 hired by Donald Barr, 651 00:39:27,367 --> 00:39:29,118 whose son was William Barr, 652 00:39:29,119 --> 00:39:31,704 the Trump administration's Attorney General. 653 00:39:31,705 --> 00:39:34,999 It was at Dalton that Epstein met Ace Greenberg, 654 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:36,209 who was a parent there. 655 00:39:36,210 --> 00:39:39,128 Greenberg ran Bear Stearns, an investment bank, 656 00:39:39,129 --> 00:39:42,341 and that was Epstein's next job, working for Bear Stearns. 657 00:39:44,635 --> 00:39:48,387 Bear Stearns wasn't one of those white shoe Wall Street firms. 658 00:39:48,388 --> 00:39:51,391 It was a rough-and-tumble streetwise place run by Jewish guys. 659 00:39:51,767 --> 00:39:56,270 And it was at Bear that Epstein manifested a trait 660 00:39:56,271 --> 00:39:59,065 that would be part of his career thereafter, 661 00:39:59,066 --> 00:40:01,484 which was worming his way into the lives 662 00:40:01,485 --> 00:40:04,988 of older, successful, influential Jewish men. 663 00:40:06,323 --> 00:40:08,741 Epstein was, uh, 664 00:40:08,742 --> 00:40:12,203 extraordinarily mesmerizing 665 00:40:12,204 --> 00:40:17,166 and... could convince anything of anybody, 666 00:40:17,167 --> 00:40:19,419 the master manipulator. 667 00:40:21,547 --> 00:40:23,923 After a time, Epstein develops 668 00:40:23,924 --> 00:40:27,051 this cloud of suspicion about various misdeeds 669 00:40:27,052 --> 00:40:29,262 around him at Bear Stearns, 670 00:40:29,263 --> 00:40:33,474 and he's eventually forced out in 1981. 671 00:40:33,475 --> 00:40:36,894 But importantly, Ace Greenberg opens the door 672 00:40:36,895 --> 00:40:39,856 for Epstein to this world, 673 00:40:39,857 --> 00:40:44,278 and that is... what really seals the deal for him. 674 00:40:46,697 --> 00:40:50,616 Jeffrey Epstein would eventually take on 675 00:40:50,617 --> 00:40:53,829 as his key client Leslie Wexner. 676 00:40:54,913 --> 00:40:57,248 When Les Wexner met Jeffrey Epstein, 677 00:40:57,249 --> 00:41:01,711 he apparently remarked that Jeffrey Epstein was so exciting, 678 00:41:01,712 --> 00:41:05,131 that Epstein was everything 679 00:41:05,132 --> 00:41:10,387 that Les Wexner thought was lacking in... Ohio. 680 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:17,686 - Both Epstein, apparently, and Wexner, definitely, 681 00:41:18,312 --> 00:41:20,646 were very smart men. 682 00:41:20,647 --> 00:41:25,985 And each one must have fulfilled the need of the other. 683 00:41:25,986 --> 00:41:31,532 Wexner had the money that Epstein was seeking, 684 00:41:31,533 --> 00:41:35,870 and Wexner got from Epstein 685 00:41:35,871 --> 00:41:39,749 the glamour and smoothness 686 00:41:39,750 --> 00:41:42,126 that he was seeking. 687 00:41:42,127 --> 00:41:47,007 And I'm not at all inferring it was a sexual need, 688 00:41:47,674 --> 00:41:49,676 but there is something there. 689 00:41:52,346 --> 00:41:57,351 - Wexner bought this fabulous townhouse, the biggest private house in Manhattan. 690 00:41:58,852 --> 00:42:01,103 It being the largest house in the city 691 00:42:01,104 --> 00:42:05,107 strikes me as a, sort of, desperate move 692 00:42:05,108 --> 00:42:09,071 because the biggest house is also a little gauche in some ways. 693 00:42:10,531 --> 00:42:12,490 Even with Epstein's help, 694 00:42:12,491 --> 00:42:14,910 Wexner stayed an outsider in New York City. 695 00:42:15,452 --> 00:42:19,413 He never became part of the cultural New York world, 696 00:42:19,414 --> 00:42:21,416 or the fashion New York world. 697 00:42:23,001 --> 00:42:24,877 This has happened time immemorial, 698 00:42:24,878 --> 00:42:29,632 you know, the Midwest king of the hill comes to New York and discovers 699 00:42:29,633 --> 00:42:32,469 that he's really just a pimple on New York's backside. 700 00:42:34,763 --> 00:42:36,514 So, at that point, 701 00:42:36,515 --> 00:42:38,891 Jeffrey Epstein eyed that townhouse 702 00:42:38,892 --> 00:42:44,230 and maneuvered to acquire it from Les Wexner. 703 00:42:44,231 --> 00:42:47,108 - Wexner eventually sold it to Epstein, 704 00:42:47,109 --> 00:42:52,072 and it wasn't until years later that there was a transfer of real estate deed. 705 00:42:53,991 --> 00:42:59,036 - Epstein paid upwards of $20 million, uh, for the townhouse, 706 00:42:59,037 --> 00:43:02,999 but there's no question that the property 707 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:05,919 ended up being worth so much more than he paid for it. 708 00:43:18,265 --> 00:43:20,474 After Epstein had managed to 709 00:43:20,475 --> 00:43:23,895 navigate his way into Wexner's life, 710 00:43:23,896 --> 00:43:27,982 Wexner did something that I've never seen in all of my years of reporting. 711 00:43:27,983 --> 00:43:30,735 He granted full power of attorney to Epstein 712 00:43:30,736 --> 00:43:36,657 and gave him unmitigated control over all of his assets, 713 00:43:36,658 --> 00:43:38,951 20 of Wexner's companies, 714 00:43:38,952 --> 00:43:42,205 19 trusts and different charitable foundations. 715 00:43:42,206 --> 00:43:44,790 He was able to manage his real estate. 716 00:43:44,791 --> 00:43:48,503 He managed his investments. He managed his businesses. 717 00:43:48,504 --> 00:43:53,508 There wasn't a part of Wexner's empire that Epstein didn't have access to 718 00:43:53,509 --> 00:43:56,720 and, and didn't have some ability to control. 719 00:43:57,554 --> 00:44:00,473 And so, to give carte blanche to someone 720 00:44:00,474 --> 00:44:03,893 the way he did with Epstein, is such a puzzle. 721 00:44:19,034 --> 00:44:23,663 Here was Jeffrey Epstein, who was obviously a conman 722 00:44:23,664 --> 00:44:26,707 to anyone paying any attention. 723 00:44:26,708 --> 00:44:28,960 I think the million-dollar question 724 00:44:28,961 --> 00:44:32,296 is why a gentleman as brilliant as Leslie Wexner 725 00:44:32,297 --> 00:44:35,509 could allow this guy into his life? 726 00:44:37,010 --> 00:44:40,429 Years later, when I heard 727 00:44:40,430 --> 00:44:43,140 Epstein was involved in the business, 728 00:44:43,141 --> 00:44:44,852 it struck me as odd 729 00:44:46,311 --> 00:44:50,189 because Les was a micromanager 730 00:44:50,190 --> 00:44:56,071 and someone who was involved in every aspect of the business. 731 00:44:56,488 --> 00:45:02,411 I couldn't believe... that Les would let that happen. 732 00:45:04,872 --> 00:45:06,874 Something was amiss. 733 00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:14,589 Epstein was at the first-ever fashion show, 734 00:45:14,590 --> 00:45:17,884 and he even eventually found himself sitting near Wexner 735 00:45:17,885 --> 00:45:20,678 at one of the later fashion shows. 736 00:45:20,679 --> 00:45:24,599 It was something that he was able to use much to his advantage, 737 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:27,351 certainly, in his early years of predation 738 00:45:27,352 --> 00:45:30,021 as a kind of calling card 739 00:45:30,022 --> 00:45:32,941 that got him introductions where he wanted. 740 00:45:37,696 --> 00:45:41,408 - I think retailing has a great future as, as long as you see it as entertainment. 741 00:45:42,284 --> 00:45:45,369 And the internet is an important part of retailing, 742 00:45:45,370 --> 00:45:48,999 an important part of the marketing, an important part of advertising. 743 00:45:50,834 --> 00:45:53,628 - We tried to get onto your site a number of times today 744 00:45:53,629 --> 00:45:56,214 and found that it was just an overwhelming experience, 745 00:45:56,215 --> 00:45:58,841 not to watch the models, mind you, but to get to it. 746 00:45:58,842 --> 00:46:02,220 - We've been handling very nicely the daily demand, 747 00:46:02,221 --> 00:46:04,306 uh, up until the Super Bowl ad, 748 00:46:04,848 --> 00:46:08,060 which generated a surge of a million hits. 749 00:46:16,777 --> 00:46:19,820 I think that's probably the most successful commercial, 750 00:46:19,821 --> 00:46:21,197 maybe in the history of the Super Bowl. 751 00:46:21,198 --> 00:46:24,158 I can't imagine that happening with anyone else. 752 00:46:24,159 --> 00:46:26,536 I can't remember an incident ever where 753 00:46:26,537 --> 00:46:30,958 a million people left their TVs during the game to go do something else. 754 00:46:31,625 --> 00:46:33,751 It's all your friend's fault. 755 00:46:33,752 --> 00:46:36,629 The brand really did, sort of, beat fashion to the punch. 756 00:46:36,630 --> 00:46:41,467 Victoria's Secret... really understood 757 00:46:41,468 --> 00:46:45,513 we're very hungry, as a culture, for beauty and beau-beautiful people, 758 00:46:45,514 --> 00:46:48,141 and they just, sort of, fed us what we all wanted. 759 00:46:49,309 --> 00:46:52,436 And so, the beauty pageant of the 1950s 760 00:46:52,437 --> 00:46:56,941 became the Victoria's Secret Show of 1999... and on. 761 00:47:03,323 --> 00:47:05,283 I don't really look at fashion shows. 762 00:47:05,284 --> 00:47:07,034 Just, you know, they're modeling lingerie. 763 00:47:07,035 --> 00:47:09,246 That's why I was interested in it as a fashion show. 764 00:47:10,205 --> 00:47:12,248 Everyone tells a joke that 765 00:47:12,249 --> 00:47:16,294 the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show crashed the web. 766 00:47:16,295 --> 00:47:21,550 Uh, we only crashed our site, and we got it up and running very quickly. 767 00:47:23,844 --> 00:47:26,471 They used the crash to their advantage. 768 00:47:27,139 --> 00:47:30,684 It was nothing but a stunt. It was a way to get headlines. 769 00:47:31,185 --> 00:47:36,607 This is a problem for any marketer who, who depends upon the press. 770 00:47:37,107 --> 00:47:39,025 You live by the press, you die by the press. 771 00:47:39,026 --> 00:47:40,693 If you don't keep upping the ante, 772 00:47:40,694 --> 00:47:43,155 you're not going to get the attention paid to you. 773 00:47:56,668 --> 00:47:59,212 With the Angels, Victoria's Secret created 774 00:47:59,213 --> 00:48:02,256 a whole sexier, more playful narrative. 775 00:48:02,257 --> 00:48:04,634 I think people wanted to see something sexy. 776 00:48:04,635 --> 00:48:06,344 And then all of a sudden, 777 00:48:06,345 --> 00:48:09,180 it became, probably, the number-one booking 778 00:48:09,181 --> 00:48:12,809 because you could start a career by being a Victoria's Secret Angel. 779 00:48:15,604 --> 00:48:17,480 One of the truisms of show business 780 00:48:17,481 --> 00:48:19,607 is that corny can work. 781 00:48:19,608 --> 00:48:21,359 And the wings were corny. 782 00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:23,194 And yet, the press loved it, 783 00:48:23,195 --> 00:48:25,404 the audience at the shows loved it, 784 00:48:25,405 --> 00:48:27,824 and they worked like crazy. 785 00:48:28,617 --> 00:48:31,160 And not only that, it caught the models' attention 786 00:48:31,161 --> 00:48:35,999 because they competed like mad to wear those wings. 787 00:48:39,503 --> 00:48:43,214 - It would become a huge thing every season about 788 00:48:43,215 --> 00:48:45,551 who would be chosen to wear these. 789 00:48:46,510 --> 00:48:49,638 Or who would get one of the few allotted wings. 790 00:48:50,681 --> 00:48:55,309 - It's amazing for me to be part of the Angels Across America. 791 00:48:55,310 --> 00:48:57,937 - Those wings were so heavy. 792 00:48:57,938 --> 00:49:01,315 I almost gave them to another girl and then saw how good she looked in them. 793 00:49:01,316 --> 00:49:02,775 I was like, "No, no, no." 794 00:49:02,776 --> 00:49:04,569 We're doing the fittings today. 795 00:49:04,570 --> 00:49:06,863 The outfits have been in the works for several months now. 796 00:49:06,864 --> 00:49:08,365 - Hi! 797 00:49:09,449 --> 00:49:13,871 - Giving a girl her first wings is really a special experience. 798 00:49:14,580 --> 00:49:17,081 Do you believe? 799 00:49:17,082 --> 00:49:19,208 I believe in miracles. 800 00:49:19,209 --> 00:49:20,836 I believe, I believe... 801 00:49:24,006 --> 00:49:26,841 The Angels with the wings 802 00:49:26,842 --> 00:49:30,428 became a huge part of the iconography of the show, 803 00:49:30,429 --> 00:49:34,516 and that started with a pretty basic concept. 804 00:49:37,811 --> 00:49:40,646 The powers-that-be at Victoria's Secret 805 00:49:40,647 --> 00:49:42,064 came to me for wings 806 00:49:42,065 --> 00:49:46,445 because I think that they all wanted to create something big. 807 00:49:46,820 --> 00:49:50,823 At first, I made preliminary sketches, 808 00:49:50,824 --> 00:49:55,411 and they also saw samples of what the wings were that I had created 809 00:49:55,412 --> 00:49:57,497 for Angels in America. 810 00:49:59,374 --> 00:50:01,126 - Greetings, prophet. 811 00:50:01,627 --> 00:50:04,046 The great work begins. 812 00:50:10,552 --> 00:50:13,888 We had a preliminary conversation 813 00:50:13,889 --> 00:50:18,310 determining the looks or the styles for each segment. 814 00:50:18,977 --> 00:50:22,271 I showed them to Ed Razek, and to the stylists, 815 00:50:22,272 --> 00:50:25,399 and, and ultimately, the models would see them as well. 816 00:50:25,400 --> 00:50:30,780 Heidi always wanted the biggest wings in the history of the show, 817 00:50:30,781 --> 00:50:33,283 and we gave them to her, 818 00:50:34,159 --> 00:50:37,162 ones that were 10-feet, 12-feet tall. 819 00:50:37,788 --> 00:50:43,418 I think, ultimately, I was lucky to be entrusted with this. 820 00:50:44,253 --> 00:50:47,464 But, uh, well, I mean it was 10 years. 821 00:51:14,783 --> 00:51:20,079 I was influenced by movies, arts... musicals 822 00:51:20,080 --> 00:51:23,876 from the '20s and the '30s, Busby Berkeley, 823 00:51:25,502 --> 00:51:28,714 Picasso, Seurat, Chagall. 824 00:51:29,631 --> 00:51:32,425 But after a while, the audience doesn't necessarily 825 00:51:32,426 --> 00:51:34,135 want to keep seeing the same thing. 826 00:51:34,136 --> 00:51:35,303 Coming! 827 00:51:38,557 --> 00:51:40,308 - Take it off, take it off. - Take it off. 828 00:51:40,309 --> 00:51:42,351 - Go, go, go, go, go! 829 00:51:42,352 --> 00:51:44,771 - Alessandra! - Alessandra! 830 00:51:46,982 --> 00:51:47,983 - Let's go. 831 00:51:48,734 --> 00:51:50,359 Girls, we need more energy 832 00:51:50,360 --> 00:51:52,570 and more smiles than that! 833 00:51:52,571 --> 00:51:55,281 - The hat's falling down, guys. The hat is falling down. 834 00:51:55,282 --> 00:51:57,283 No, no, no, she's gotta put it back on. 835 00:51:57,284 --> 00:51:59,118 Stop by 2:15, the breakdown. 836 00:52:01,288 --> 00:52:05,124 Backstage, they did so many adjustments beforehand. 837 00:52:05,125 --> 00:52:06,626 They... The outfits were ready to go. 838 00:52:06,627 --> 00:52:11,172 I think they faked adjustments on camera for the, uh, for the show. 839 00:52:11,173 --> 00:52:12,965 Like, they, they made it seem like 840 00:52:12,966 --> 00:52:15,510 it was more hectic backstage than it actually was. 841 00:52:15,511 --> 00:52:18,513 - Standing by with Behati. - Dangerous music with video. 842 00:52:18,514 --> 00:52:19,431 - Okay! 843 00:52:19,432 --> 00:52:22,725 In three, two, one. Go! 844 00:52:22,726 --> 00:52:23,727 Go! 845 00:52:25,646 --> 00:52:27,647 I thought it was fun to be part of it, 846 00:52:27,648 --> 00:52:30,024 but I... feel like I was playing a game, 847 00:52:30,025 --> 00:52:33,736 or something that wasn't really... real at all, 848 00:52:33,737 --> 00:52:35,989 and wasn't very inspirational. 849 00:52:38,867 --> 00:52:42,578 - We need Candice. - Three, two, one... 850 00:53:05,853 --> 00:53:09,438 The fact that the show made millions of people happy 851 00:53:09,439 --> 00:53:12,651 and tune in is a phenomenon. 852 00:53:14,236 --> 00:53:19,031 And there's another side of that, too, which is that, you know, there were people 853 00:53:19,032 --> 00:53:21,117 that were kinda tortured by it, too, 854 00:53:21,118 --> 00:53:24,412 by, you know, just the desire to participate 855 00:53:24,413 --> 00:53:27,832 and the willingness to... submit 856 00:53:27,833 --> 00:53:30,251 to whatever it took to, like, be a part of it. 857 00:53:34,673 --> 00:53:37,925 Sometime in the spring or summer of '93, 858 00:53:37,926 --> 00:53:42,054 an executive came into my office quite upset. 859 00:53:42,055 --> 00:53:44,307 She said she had been informed 860 00:53:44,308 --> 00:53:48,979 that a man was in New York portraying himself 861 00:53:49,646 --> 00:53:54,568 as a recruiter for Victoria's Secret catalog models. 862 00:53:55,903 --> 00:53:58,906 And I ask her if she knew his name, 863 00:53:59,656 --> 00:54:02,075 and she said, "Jeffrey Epstein." 864 00:54:03,410 --> 00:54:07,414 It was like, "Oh boy, this is trouble." 865 00:54:10,000 --> 00:54:16,006 So, I asked this executive to call Les directly 866 00:54:16,465 --> 00:54:18,926 and tell him what was happening. 867 00:54:19,301 --> 00:54:23,804 She did... and Les told her 868 00:54:23,805 --> 00:54:26,225 he would put a stop to it. 869 00:54:28,685 --> 00:54:33,356 The point being that inappropriate behavior 870 00:54:33,357 --> 00:54:35,358 was reported to Les 871 00:54:35,359 --> 00:54:38,987 sometime in '93. 872 00:54:39,905 --> 00:54:45,409 - In 1997, I filed a sexual battery report 873 00:54:45,410 --> 00:54:47,037 on Jeffrey Epstein. 874 00:54:49,081 --> 00:54:51,123 He worked for Victoria's Secret. 875 00:54:51,124 --> 00:54:53,251 That's what he told me.