Lex Wexner (full name Leslie Herbert Wexner) is an American billionaire retailer best known as the longtime boss behind brands like Victoria’s Secret, The Limited, and Bath & Body Works.

Quick Scoop: Who He Is

  • Leslie “Lex” Wexner was born on September 8, 1937, in Dayton, Ohio, to a family that ran a small clothing store, which shaped his early exposure to retail.
  • In 1963 he opened a small women’s fashion shop called The Limited in the Columbus, Ohio area, focusing on clothes for young women instead of full-family department-store assortments.
  • He grew that single store into a massive retail empire, later known as L Brands, which at various times controlled The Limited, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lane Bryant, and other chains.
  • In 1982 he bought a struggling lingerie chain called Victoria’s Secret for about 1 million dollars and transformed it into a global powerhouse in intimate apparel.
  • By the 2000s–2010s, his company (eventually centered on Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works) was doing billions in annual revenue and employing tens of thousands of people.

Power, Wealth, and Philanthropy

  • Wexner became one of the richest people in the United States through his retail holdings and later diversified investments; estimates in the mid‑2020s put his net worth in the multi‑billion‑dollar range.
  • He has been a major philanthropist, especially in Columbus, Ohio and at Ohio State University, funding hospitals, arts, and education through the Wexner Foundation and other initiatives.
  • He has also been involved in elite donor networks such as the “Mega Group,” a circle of wealthy Jewish businessmen focused on philanthropy and community issues.

Controversies and Epstein Connection

  • Wexner is widely criticized for his long association with Jeffrey Epstein, whom he hired as a close financial manager and advisor from the late 1980s until around 2007.
  • Epstein controlled some Wexner-linked assets and even lived in a house owned by Wexner, which later became a focal point in reporting after Epstein’s sex‑offense convictions and death.
  • The growing scrutiny over Epstein’s conduct and Wexner’s relationship with him contributed to pressure on Wexner and on the Victoria’s Secret brand, especially as public attitudes toward the company’s marketing shifted.
  • In 2020, Wexner stepped down as CEO of L Brands (the parent of Victoria’s Secret at the time), officially ending an era in which he was one of the longest‑serving leaders of a major U.S. retailer.

What’s Been Notable More Recently

  • After stepping back from day‑to‑day retail leadership, Wexner has remained active as an investor and family‑office figure, with public attention swinging between his philanthropy and the lingering shadow of the Epstein scandal.
  • Commentary in business and investing circles also highlights his long-term pattern of spotting underperforming brands, acquiring them, and scaling them aggressively, which is still studied as a case study in modern retail strategy.

In One Line

Lex Wexner is a pioneering but controversial U.S. retail billionaire who built Victoria’s Secret and The Limited into a global empire, became a major philanthropist, and later faced intense scrutiny for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.