Hermès Chairman Axel Dumas Details Epstein's Persistent Attempts to Target Him
Axel Dumas, the executive chairman of French luxury powerhouse Hermès International SCA, has publicly disclosed that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein made repeated efforts to establish contact with him, despite Dumas's consistent attempts to avoid any association with the disgraced financier.
Unplanned Workshop Encounter in 2013
During Hermès's recent financial results conference call, Dumas confirmed that his only meeting with Epstein occurred in March 2013, when Epstein arrived uninvited with a group that included filmmaker Woody Allen to visit the company's Birkin bag workshop near Paris. "He crashed the party," Dumas stated emphatically, clarifying that Epstein's participation was neither planned nor welcomed.
Photographic evidence from the U.S. Justice Department's recently released files shows Dumas, Epstein, and Allen together at the workshop. Dumas's name also appears in several documents within the extensive Epstein archive.
Multiple Declined Meeting Requests
Dumas revealed that he had turned down several formal requests from Epstein for private meetings. In one particularly telling instance from January 2014, Dumas's assistant initially scheduled a meeting between Epstein, Ariane de Rothschild, and Dumas at Hermès's Paris headquarters. "He wanted to have a meeting with me, which initially was accepted but then when I saw it in my diary, I declined it," Dumas explained, noting that he canceled the appointment immediately upon realizing Epstein's involvement.
Earlier Refusal to Decorate Epstein's Jet
The Hermès chairman further disclosed that in 2012, the company received and refused a request to decorate Epstein's private jet. This period coincided with Hermès's intense battle to fend off a hostile takeover bid from luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. "I was a young leader at the time, in the middle of the LVMH affair," Dumas recalled, adding his belief that he was specifically targeted by Epstein during this vulnerable corporate period.
Context of Epstein's Notorious Reputation
Dumas emphasized that Epstein "already had a despicable reputation" by the time these interactions occurred. Epstein, who cultivated an extensive network of wealthy and powerful connections, had pleaded guilty to Florida state charges in 2008 and served prison time before facing federal sex trafficking charges at the time of his 2019 jail death, ruled a suicide by authorities.
The recent release of millions of pages from Epstein's personal correspondence has cast an unflattering light on numerous prominent figures across business, politics, and academia worldwide.
Broader Suspicious Surrounding Financial Advisers
Dumas connected his wariness of Epstein to existing concerns about other financial figures in his orbit. He noted being "already suspicious of the actings of Eric Freymond," the late wealth adviser to his relative Nicolas Puech, who was embroiled in disputes over his Hermès stake. "I didn't need another dodgy financier lurking around," Dumas concluded, underscoring his deliberate efforts to distance himself from questionable financial associates during a critical period for the luxury brand.
