Supermodels Speak Out Against Sexual Harassment

As former models prepare to offer testimony against Gérald Marie, their former agency boss, big names like Carla Bruni, Paulina Porizkova and Karen Elson are offering their support.

On the eve of fashion month, six women, all former models, flew into Paris from across the world — not to walk runways but to be interviewed by the child protection unit of the Paris police. Their testimonies, set to be heard Sept. 7, include allegations of rape and sexual misconduct against ​​Gérald Marie, who for three decades was one of the most powerful men in the fashion industry. A former European chief of Elite Model Management who was once married to Linda Evangelista and who now lives in Ibiza, Mr. Marie has long denied the allegations that have mounted against him over the years from at least 24 women. Now, however, a year after prosecutors in France opened an investigation into the alleged incidents, which are said to have occurred in the 1980s and ’90s, a chorus of new and high-profile voices has emerged to support Mr. Marie’s accusers — and to demand more robust labor regulation to protect young and often vulnerable models whose work can take them far from home and supervision.