Lucy Osborne

Lucy has worked with dogged determination over several years to expose a system of manipulation, sexual assault and rape within the fashion industry. This is a notoriously closed world, where, as Lucy's reporting has shown, abusers continue to be enabled and protected.

Her special investigation for Saturday magazine revealed several new allegations against Jeffrey Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel, as well as the complicity of the fashion industry over 30 years. Marianne Shine explains how reading Lucy's previous Guardian articles on abuse led to her coming forward as a witness in the criminal case against Brunel (who was also under investigation in Paris at the time). Dozens more models have come forward to Lucy since reading her articles, triggering a MeToo reckoning in the industry. Lucy also created a Today in Focus podcast which unpicked how the fashion industry turned a blind eye to abuse for decades, and explored the implications for models working today. Her investigation resulted in a three-part documentary series co-produced by the Guardian and Wonderhood for Sky. The widely-acclaimed series reveals new allegations against some of the most powerful men in fashion and their connections to the likes of Epstein. As the series shows, her work played a key part in bringing together many of the 15 survivors who formed part of a criminal investigation against model agency boss Gerald Marie in Paris. Marie denies the allegations. The docuseries follows these women as they meet for the first time to pursue justice. They describe how first speaking to Lucy and telling their stories in her articles was a turning point in their lives, each having thought for decades that she was the only one to have experienced abuse. Lucy's three-year commitment to this issue has led to new allegations of sexual misconduct against some very powerful men. Her investigations have exposed a web of abusers connected to the alleged sex trafficking of minors. She takes care throughout her reporting process, and long after publication, to stay in touch with her interviewees. That these women, many of whom were first abused as teenagers, have trusted Lucy with their stories shows not only Lucy's skill as a reporter, but also her care and compassion. Lucy understands the risk that sexual assault survivors take when they speak publicly about what they've been through. She has made them feel empowered; to feel that by sharing their stories they may affect change in the fashion industry and in society. Lucy has reported on sexual misconduct cases for the past 6 years (much of this relating to the fashion industry) mainly for the Guardian, and previously for the BBC, Channel 4 and others. She has broken new allegations against many powerful individuals, including her investigation last year with fellow Guardian reporter Sirin Kale into actor and producer Noel Clarke, which sent shockwaves through the TV and film industry.