Hermes CEO Axel Dumas reveals Jeffrey Epstein gatecrashed a 2013 workshop tour with Woody Allen, later declining multiple meeting requests from the financier.
PARIS: Hermes chief executive Axel Dumas confirmed he met the late financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2013.
The convicted sex offender invited himself to a workshop visit alongside actor Woody Allen and other guests.
Dumas made the statement as the French luxury house presented its full-year financial results.
He clarified that Epstein was not on the official guest list for the event.
“He was not on the guest list and joined a group of guests invited by Woody Allen and his wife, without prior warning,” Dumas said.
A photograph from the US Justice Department’s Epstein investigation files shows the three men together at an Hermes workshop outside Paris.
“Someone took the opportunity to take an impromptu picture, which he evidently kept preciously,” Dumas noted.
The CEO acknowledged Epstein’s notorious reputation, stating, “And indeed, he had a bad reputation.”
Dumas emphasised he later rebuffed attempts by Epstein to establish further contact.
“Afterwards, he tried to meet with me three times, which I always declined,” he added.
