Victoria’s Secret “angels” could be close to “returning to Earth” this year. The North American underwear company announced that 2023 will be marked by the return of the brand’s fashion show. For now, no further details are known about the date or how the show will be, but it is known that fans should expect some changes, especially with regard to diversity on the catwalk.
After the poor results in sales and television audiences, surrounded by controversy over the “misogynistic” company culture, the financial director of Victoria’s Secret, Timothy Johnson, announced, last Friday, the return of the parade soon. “We will continue to look at marketing expenses to invest in the business, both at the top of the funnel and also for support the new version of our fashion show, which will come later this year”, he said, in a debriefing meeting, cites the Retail Dive.
“We believe that we are in the second year of a five-year journey to change our business and we have a clear strategy to be the world leader in underwear retailing”, also declared CEO, Martin Waters, at the same digital meeting.
Although no details are known, the company stressed, in statements to Page Six, which will reinforce the “commitment in defense of the voice of women and their unique perspectives”. And he adds: “This led us to recover one of our best marketing and entertainment strategies, but changing it to reflect who we are today.”
Among the reactions to the Victoria’s Secret ad, the singer Lizzo stands out, who celebrated “the victory of inclusivity”, but raised a doubt on twitter. “But if brands start doing this just because they got negative feedback, then what happens when the trends change again?” And he insists: “Do the CEOs of these companies value true inclusivity? Or do they only value the money?”
The brand’s last fashion show was in 2018 and also featured the brand’s “angels” — a club made up of some of the most coveted names in fashion, such as the Portuguese Sara Sampaio or the Brazilian Alessandra Ambrósio. A year later, the annual parade was cancelled, due to poor financial and marketing results.
A change was then promised, announced in June 2021, but which should only now materialize. The models were to give way to activists, including the American footballer Megan Rapinoe or the actress and businesswoman Priyanka Chopra Jonas — it is not known whether the strategy is maintained.
The underwear company was created in 1997 and depended largely on the image of the models who gave life to the “angels”. Personalities such as Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum or Tyra Banks walked the exclusive catwalk.
The “angels” Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Oluchi Onweagba, Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio
REUTERS/Dave Allocca/archive
Questioned about the lack of diversity among the clan, the then responsible for marketing the brand, Ed Razek, defended, in an interview with vogue, that this was not the project’s mission: “Shouldn’t there be transsexuals in the show? No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. It is what it is.”
The controversial statements were just another drop in the ocean of controversy and led Razek to leave office. Shortly afterwards, former president Les Wexner, linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the financial tycoon convicted of sex crimes, was also ousted.