Victoria’s Secret: the return of the fashion show after a six-year hiatus
16 october 2024 в 22:13
The Victoria’s Secret fashion show officially returned this year.
The event took place on Tuesday evening in Brooklyn and included performances by K-Pop star Lisa, South African singer Tayla, and pop legend Cher, who closed the show with her hits «Strong Enough» and «Believe».
Since the lingerie company put in the effort once again, let’s remember when the last fashion show took place.
The last Victoria’s Secret fashion show was in 2018.
The event began in 1995, and by 1998, models under contract, known as «Angels», - appeared on the runway with wings. The show gained huge popularity, airing on national television and expanding internationally throughout the 2000s.
However, by 2018, the show experienced its lowest ratings, dropping from over 10 million viewers in 2010 to just over 3 million that year, according to NBC News.
In November 2019, Victoria’s Secret announced the cancellation of the show for the «evolution of the company’s messaging», - as stated by L Brands' Senior Financial Officer Stuart Burgdoerfer. During a conference call, he noted, «We will communicate with customers, but nothing like the scale of the fashion show».
Leaders canceled the event in 2019 as the fashion industry faced criticism regarding body positivity movements, transgender rights, and #MeToo. The company also faced controversies surrounding its leadership, including L Brands CEO Les Wexner’s association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek’s controversial comments about transgender and plus-size models, leading to his departure the same year.
For the 2024 event, model and body diversity advocate Ashley Graham took the stage for the first time. Although she expressed joy at participating, she admitted to hesitating to accept the invitation. As a woman of age and mother of three, she aimed to represent women with curves and acknowledged the challenges of aligning with the brand’s past. In her conversation with PEOPLE, she noted, «There was a brand DNA that was very hard to break into for many years».
She added, «When I spoke to the head of Victoria’s Secret and they assured me that their hope and plan is to expand sizes, I said 'yes' so more women could see themselves on the runway, because we didn’t see that during Fashion Month».
Announcing the return of the event after a six-year hiatus, the company stated on Instagram in May: «We read the comments and heard you».
«The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is BACK and will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love — glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment, and more! Stay tuned for updates… it’s only getting more iconic from here».
The 45-minute show was broadcast on Amazon Prime Video and various social platforms
The event took place on Tuesday evening in Brooklyn and included performances by K-Pop star Lisa, South African singer Tayla, and pop legend Cher, who closed the show with her hits «Strong Enough» and «Believe».
Since the lingerie company put in the effort once again, let’s remember when the last fashion show took place.
The last Victoria’s Secret fashion show was in 2018.
The event began in 1995, and by 1998, models under contract, known as «Angels», - appeared on the runway with wings. The show gained huge popularity, airing on national television and expanding internationally throughout the 2000s.
However, by 2018, the show experienced its lowest ratings, dropping from over 10 million viewers in 2010 to just over 3 million that year, according to NBC News.
In November 2019, Victoria’s Secret announced the cancellation of the show for the «evolution of the company’s messaging», - as stated by L Brands' Senior Financial Officer Stuart Burgdoerfer. During a conference call, he noted, «We will communicate with customers, but nothing like the scale of the fashion show».
Leaders canceled the event in 2019 as the fashion industry faced criticism regarding body positivity movements, transgender rights, and #MeToo. The company also faced controversies surrounding its leadership, including L Brands CEO Les Wexner’s association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek’s controversial comments about transgender and plus-size models, leading to his departure the same year.
For the 2024 event, model and body diversity advocate Ashley Graham took the stage for the first time. Although she expressed joy at participating, she admitted to hesitating to accept the invitation. As a woman of age and mother of three, she aimed to represent women with curves and acknowledged the challenges of aligning with the brand’s past. In her conversation with PEOPLE, she noted, «There was a brand DNA that was very hard to break into for many years».
She added, «When I spoke to the head of Victoria’s Secret and they assured me that their hope and plan is to expand sizes, I said 'yes' so more women could see themselves on the runway, because we didn’t see that during Fashion Month».
Announcing the return of the event after a six-year hiatus, the company stated on Instagram in May: «We read the comments and heard you».
«The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is BACK and will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love — glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment, and more! Stay tuned for updates… it’s only getting more iconic from here».
The 45-minute show was broadcast on Amazon Prime Video and various social platforms
© Artemenko Olga
