Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show promised equity, provided entertainment

On Tuesday, Victoria’s Secret brought its runway show back to life at the Duggal Greenhouse in New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The event featured some of the brand’s veteran runway stars, including models Alessandra Ambrosio, Doutzen Kroes, Behati Prinsloo and Candice Swanepoe. The front row was also stacked with celebrities such as musicians Cardi B, Ice Spice, Queen Latifah and Tyga, stylist Law Roach, plus fashion designers Joseph Altuzarra, Jenna Lyons and LaQuan Smith.

The show was meant to provide a refresh of the brand’s image, which has been tarnished in recent years by controversies and criticism regarding its narrow views on beauty.

Much of the damage the company has faced has been self-inflicted.

In July 2018, the New York Times reported that L Brands CEO Leslie H. Wexner had ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. A month later, the company canceled its long-running fashion show. Then in November of that year, Edward Razek, L Brands’ chief marketing officer, said in an interview with Vogue that no one had any interest in seeing plus-size models on the Victoria’s Secret runway and that the show should not feature transgender models. 

Shakeups ensued, including Razek’s departure in 2019; and the Victoria’s Secret separation from L Brands in 2021. But in 2023 a trial balloon for a fashion show reboot was sent out by way of a feature-length film titled “Victoria’s Secret The Tour ’23.”

Now the show is back in full force, and in a May announcement, organizers said they’ve made some changes.

“We’ve read the comments and heard you,” the company’s Instagram post read. “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back and will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love.”

If Tuesday’s show was meant to reflect that promise, it did so only in spirit.

There was certainly more diversity than in previous years. The show featured models over 40 for the first time, including the runway debut of former First Lady of France, Carla Bruni, who at 56 years old became the oldest model to appear at a Victoria’s Secret show.

Also there were Isabeli Fontana, 41; Adriana Lima, 43; and Alessandra Ambrosio, 43. Other models aged 50 and older included Kate Moss, 50, who made her runway debut for the brand, appearing shortly after her model daughter Lily Moss. Eva Herzigová, 51, also made an appearance, and Tyra Banks, 50, closed the show to cheers from the crowd.

There were also plus-size models for the first time — Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser, Kai Soleil, Devyn Garcia and Jill Kortleve — who ranged from U.S. dress size 8 to 16. Yet they were all more covered up during the show than other models, and sported skirts, sarongs, robes, leggings, capes and briefs, in contrast to the string thongs seen on many of their colleagues.

A 2024 report from MYS Insights 2024 states that the average American woman is a size 14, and the majority of women in the U.S. wear a size 16 and above.

The runway also hosted the debut of two transgender models, Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio, marking a noted departure from the company’s previous position.

In addition, an all-woman lineup of musicians featured performances from Cher, Orianthi, Tyla and Blackpink’s Lisa. Wings were also back in force, with 30 variations spotted on the runway.

However, despite the brand’s stated commitment to DEI, the show fell short of its lofty goals. Out of 52 models in the show, just 10 represented any sort of change to its previous policies, and there were no models at all who reflected Victoria’s Secret’s previously stated interest in supporting adaptive fashion.

That said, the show certainly helped increase the brand’s buzz. According to influencer marketing platform Traackr, there was a 57,873% increase in creator content engagements and 23,717% increase in creator content video views for the event from Oct. 13 through Oct. 16, compared to the same time period last month.

That may help the company boost its bottom line, which is slumping. In its latest earnings report, Victoria’s Secret revised its full-year outlook, and said it expects fiscal year 2024 net sales to be down approximately 1% year over year, compared to prior guidance of down low-single digits.

According to BMO Capital Markets Managing Director Simeon Siegel, the show, which is the first under newly-minted CEO Hillary Super, “was more female-driven and did not restrict itself to a single version of ‘beauty.’”

Still, a reprise may not be a given. 

“We do not think the show a shoe-in for a repeat next year just yet, as management evaluates whether this is the right medium for messaging and whether every 12 months is the right timeframe,” he said in a Thursday client note.