Faith Kates’ exit from Next Management became another example of the Epstein files turning old relationships into present-day professional consequences. Kates, the co-founder of Next, had long been known as a major figure in the modeling world, but newly released Epstein materials and follow-up reporting painted her relationship with him as far deeper than a passing association. The files showed years of warm, personal communication, business discussions, apparent advice from Epstein, and troubling exchanges involving models or aspiring models even after his 2008 conviction. Kates stepped down from Next in late 2025, officially citing personal reasons and charity work, but the timing and the later revelations made that explanation look incomplete at best. Once the emails and references became public, Next moved to distance itself from her, saying her Epstein relationship was unknown to current management and that the company was working to end all legal ties with her. In practical terms, the Epstein revelations turned Kates from a powerful agency founder into a liability.
The Brunel side of the story shows how deeply Epstein’s orbit overlapped with the mainstream fashion and retail ecosystem before Epstein’s second arrest in 2019. Jean-Luc Brunel’s MC2 Model Management, which had Epstein ties and was later scrutinized over allegations that it helped supply young women into Epstein’s world, was not operating in some obscure corner of the industry. Reporting linked MC2 to major retailers and brands including Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Target, Sears, and Belk. Some companies later minimized the relationship or said the work was limited, but the larger point is brutal: Brunel’s agency had enough legitimacy to operate inside the commercial bloodstream of American retail while Epstein’s history was already publicly known. That is what makes the modeling-agency angle so disturbing—not just the individual allegations, but the way a loosely regulated industry, powerful retailers, wealthy men, scouts, agencies, visas, housing, and access all overlapped in a system where vulnerable young women could be treated like inventory long before the public reckoning finally arrived.
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