The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show started with a baby bump.
TL;DR
- Victoria's Secret Fashion Show signals a return to brand sexiness with a contemporary, inclusive twist.
- CEO Hillary Super's strategy blends provocative history with diverse models and celebrity attendees.
- The show features familiar Angels alongside plus-size models and athletes, embracing varied beauty standards.
- Victoria's Secret aims to regain market share by appealing to female consumers on their own terms.
Nine months pregnant, model Jasmine Tookes graced the stage adorned with full VS angel wings. She appeared stunningly glamorous, glowing in gold. This seemed to signal a message from Victoria’s Secret, under its new CEO Hillary Super: the brand's signature sexiness has returned, but with a contemporary twist.
Last night's live broadcast from Brooklyn, a grand spectacle, signaled Super's approach to revitalizing the brand. Victoria's Secret previously pushed a top-down definition of sexiness, dictated by male leadership and focused on the male perspective. Following its failure, there was a brief period that might be described as a “woke” phase. This featured a collective of accomplished women, such as soccer player Megan Rapinoe and Olympic skier Eileen Gu. However, their connection to lingerie was largely minimal.
Super's strategy last night was a compromise. Instead of sidelining Victoria's Secret's provocative history, the show incorporated it. Familiar VS ‘Angels,’ including Bella and Gigi Hadid, Lily Aldridge, and Alessandra Ambrosio, strutted the runway, appearing much as they might have a decade and a half ago. However, they weren't the sole women present. Plus-size models, such as Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser, were also featured. (Runway representation for plus-size models has consistently decreased in recent years as thinness has reasserted dominance; Vogue Business maintains a size-inclusivity tracker.) Some models are now in their 40s and likely wouldn't have appeared on a Victoria's Secret runway during the brand's earlier period. Although the conventional standard of white, blonde beauty was evident, it wasn't the only form of beauty showcased.
Beyond professional models, notable attendees included Angel Reese, a WNBA star, and Olympian Suni Lee. Karol G delivered a performance and graced the runway with her hit song's title, “Latina Foreva”, displayed on the backdrop. This occasion saw women from diverse backgrounds embracing sensuality, modeling, and lingerie with apparent pleasure.
The show struck me as drawing inspiration from Skims' casting strategies. Kim Kardashian's company, which has gained market share from a struggling Victoria's Secret, has recently been attuned to cultural trends, featuring a diverse range of individuals in its campaigns, from Italian stars of The White Lotus to Mahomes family, and showcasing items from lingerie to loungewear. While Skims has explored runway presentations, it hasn't replicated the impact of a fashion show like those seen during Victoria's Secret's peak. Now, Victoria's Secret appears poised to regain some of the territory it lost.
The audience inside the venue was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Sedaris occupied seats in the front row, and Parker was seen using her phone to record Reese. A significant number of Wall Street analysts were also present, observing to determine the potential success of this approach.
Super told the Wall Street Journal prior to the program that her predecessors' choices to reduce sexiness were “made out of fear.” Her direct predecessor was CEO Martin Waters. Although customers likely won't recognize the person leading Victoria's Secret, a 6.2 billion dollar enterprise, they might notice that a woman is at the helm. This could be precisely what the brand requires. Female consumers appear to prefer not having sexiness dictated by male executives, nor do they want male executives hesitant to embrace it; they can determine what 'sexy' means on their own terms, with fewer restrictions.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.Hinchliffe@coins2day.com
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