They mostly involved photographers or stylists who sexually abused or attempted to abuse models – primarily women, sometimes minors, and occasionally men too. In many of the stories, victims remembered being reassured that this kind of behaviour was normal in the industry.

One of the posts Russell’s initiative drew:

In one message posted Monday, a contributor revealed that reading the stories made her “recall some experiences that I had long forgotten about because I thought they were normal. Unfortunately every single person in this industry has been personally assaulted or has seen it happen.”

Sharing the stories was “only the first step in a long process to make sexual harassment, assault and violence unacceptable,” Russell wrote on Instagram, adding she hoped an “experienced investigative team can support the work of holding the fashion industry accountable”.

‘That was the culture then’: Harvey Weinstein’s unusual apology after sex harassment claims, in full

Russell, who is signed to celebrated agency Elite, made a name for herself in 2012 with a TED talk during which she advised young girls not to pursue an “unsustainable” career in fashion.

She warned that the job deprives models of “any creative control”, adding that her success was only due to winning the “genetic lottery”.