Axel Dumas, Chief Executive Officer of French luxury brand Hermes, has confirmed that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein attended a Paris workshop visit in 2013 without prior notice.

Speaking on Thursday during Hermes’ full-year financial results presentation, Dumas acknowledged what he described as a single interaction with Epstein more than a decade ago.

“I had one single contact with Jeffrey Epstein; it was in March 2013,” Dumas stated.

Epstein “Not on Guest List” at Hermes Workshop

According to Dumas, Epstein was not officially invited to the Hermes workshop outside Paris. Instead, he reportedly joined a group of guests invited by filmmaker Woody Allen and his wife.

“He was not on the guest list and joined a group of guests invited by Woody Allen and his wife, without prior warning,” Dumas explained.

Recently released US Justice Department Epstein investigation files include a photograph showing Dumas, Epstein, and Woody Allen together during the visit.

Dumas described the photo as spontaneous.

“Someone took the opportunity to take an impromptu picture, which he evidently kept preciously,” he said, adding that Epstein already had “a bad reputation” at the time.

Hermes CEO Rejected Further Contact Attempts

Dumas emphasized that he declined subsequent efforts by Epstein to establish further contact.

“Afterwards, he tried to meet with me three times, which I always declined.”

Emails reviewed from the Epstein case files, reportedly sent by Dumas’s assistant, show that multiple invitations from Epstein were refused.

In 2016, Epstein reportedly won a charity auction lot offered by Hermes, which included workshop lessons.

“When we learned that he was the winner, we refused and compensated the charity with the equivalent amount,” Dumas said.

Hermes also rejected a separate request from Epstein to redesign the interior of his private jet.

Renewed Scrutiny in France Over Epstein Links

The revelations form part of a broader wave of disclosures stemming from the US Justice Department’s latest release of Epstein investigation documents, which has reignited scrutiny in France.

Earlier this week:

France’s Foreign Minister requested an investigation into diplomat Fabrice Aidan, who had corresponded with Epstein.

Former French Culture Minister Jack Lang resigned from his leadership role at the Arab World Institute after his name appeared in the statutes of an offshore company founded by Epstein in 2016.

Lang’s daughter, Caroline Lang, allegedly linked to shares in the company, also stepped down from two positions.

Dumas, reflecting on the encounter, said:

“I can’t tell you exactly what we knew about him or not, because I can’t recall from 13 years ago, but he had an odious reputation.”

Ongoing Impact of Epstein Investigation Files
The latest disclosures continue to reverberate across political, diplomatic and corporate circles in Europe, as names appearing in the newly released Epstein files face renewed public and legal scrutiny.

The Hermes CEO Jeffrey Epstein Paris workshop visit revelation adds another high-profile corporate name to the widening fallout from the long-running Epstein investigation.