Victoria’s Secret wants to get wings again, a major fashion show returning after six years

For decades, the American brand set the tone in the field of ‘questionable lingerie’, as ING economist Dirk Mulder describes Victoria’s Secret products.

The company was founded in 1977 by Ray Raymond, who was embarrassed to buy clothes for his wife. So he opened a store that had to be accessible to men. The name refers to the Victorian era and the ‘mystery’ under the clothes.

Klum and Kroes

From the 1990s onwards, the annual exhibitions were particularly sensational. Famous models such as Heidi Klum, Gigi Hadid and Doutzen Kroes, who were renamed ‘angels’ for the event, spread their wings and walked the catwalk in the latest collections. Artists such as Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles presented the scene with even more cachet.

The shows came to a temporary end in 2018. Something to do with the less strong role the company has come to play in the apparel market. The numbers support this. The convert dropped from $8.1 billion in 2018 to $6.2 billion last year. There was also a decline in the stock exchange.

Stupid statements

According to fashion journalist Arno Kantelberg, “internal turmoil and some stupid statements from managers” are the basis for Victoria’s Secret’s dip. He refers, among other things, to statements made by director Ed Razek at the time in 2018, who did not see fit to allow transgender people and plus size models to walk the catwalk.

According to Kantelberg, this is related to the main reason: “The lack of diversity.” According to him, the company was criticized for the models being too thin and too white.

“There was already a debate at the time about whether all this was possible,” Mulder says of the spirit of the times. “MeToo was alive and diversity was already a topic.”

The company changed course. The annual shows disappeared and diversity became the priority. This did not result in any change. “They’ve sold the old target group and they’re still recognizable in a certain way to the new one,” Mulder said of how difficult it was for Victoria’s Secret to adopt a modern image.

Savage X Fenty

Super’s job is to give the company a modern look that fits. Expectations are high. She had already gained a lot of experience in the world of fashion when she became the director of Savage X Fenty in June 2023, the clothing brand founded by singer Rihanna and the main rival of Victoria’s Secret.

World Since August this year, Super has turned to Victoria’s Secret, to give wings to that company again.

With the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show she is bringing back at least one of the old show pieces. The question remains whether she will be able to successfully pull this off again. Kantelberg comes up with some advice for tonight: “Plus size models should participate. It would be really stupid if Victoria’s Secret didn’t do that.”