Victoria’s Secret put on its angel wings again and hit the catwalks again after a six-year break.
The comeback was loud and proud, as A-list celebrities, influencers, and a multi-generational, all-female band featuring Cher, Tyla, and Lisa joined the live event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
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Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Grace Elizabeth, Taylor Hill and Tyra Banks, who last appeared on stage for Victoria’s Secret in 2005, also took their turns on the podium.
The show opened with fantasy pink princess looks headlined by Gigi Hadid, while iridescent purple costumes channeled female superheroes. Rock ‘n’ roll black lace and leather mixed more casual styles with the brand’s signature sexy lingerie look, as seen on surprise supermodel icon Kate Moss (there were also athleisure outfits featuring sparse leggings and zip-up hoodies towards the end of the show) mixed in with zip-up hoodies ), before the show closed with pink and red holiday-themed ensembles to Cher’s “Believe.”
There were lots of wings available in many shapes, sizes and materials such as feathers, candy wrapper tulle, sequins and more. But the brand was really stretching with its mega-model roster filled with Victoria’s Secret models and icons from across the decades.
The show, which was broadcast live on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Amazon Live, was heavy on both show and show and had a direct commercial purpose. For the first time, catwalk underwear (excluding sashes and theatrical pieces) was available for immediate purchase.
Victoria’s Secret is thinking outside the box and exuding more confidence as it works to get its business back into growth mode.
This shows that the brand is ready to both make a full comeback and define itself for the future, and to do this balancing act through global live streaming.
“It’s always going to be about feeling sexy,” said chief design and creative officer Janie Schaffer in an interview before the show. “We are Victoria’s Secret. But it’s sexy for everyone. We have 57 bra sizes. We’re going all out on bra sizes. We have a completely comprehensive and beautiful lingerie collection and we really wanted to celebrate that on the runway.
There were famous angel wings and models, of course, but there were also, as Schaffer puts it, “confident women in many different shapes and sizes.”
Pointing out that the track in particular will be offered for sale, he said, “There is a very different animal behind the scenes.”
Previously, the program was edited, edited and polished before being broadcast on terrestrial TV.
“It’s about the liveliness of the moment. Whatever happens, happens. It’s a truly unique journey,” Schaffer said. “Anyone can see this in real time.”
Victoria’s Secret caused a sensation by televising its 2001 fashion show, encouraging 12.4 million viewers to put down the remote control.
But this was part of a va-va-voom approach to sexiness that kept the brand out of step with the cultural era as the market evolved and younger, more diverse brands emerged.
Now, after a spinoff in the wilderness for a while, a sell-off and stock declines, and the appointment of a new CEO last month (former Savage x Fenty CEO Hillary Super), Victoria’s Secret has leapt back into prime time.
The brand clearly expects support from the fair. In the first half, sales decreased by 2 percent to 2.8 billion dollars, and net profit was 28.2 million dollars. Sales for the full year are scheduled to fall by about 1 percent.
Backstage before the show, it was clear that things had changed.
“This is about representation, and this is about Victoria’s Secret saying ‘Yes’ to everyone who always feels bigger because they don’t serve,” said Ashley Graham, who is preparing to walk her first fashion show for the brand. And that’s the biggest thing. “I said yes to VS because, frankly, I wanted to raise awareness of our bodies on the catwalk.”
“I’m so glad Victoria’s Secret finally got the memo,” Graham said. “They’re going bigger, there are curvy queens everywhere.”
Gigi Hadid said the increased focus on diversity is “necessary and necessary for the people who watch and love this show.”
“It’s important to take a few years to not only rethink this project, but also for the brand to step up,” he said. “Now, this is a show run by women who are in charge of the company, and I think you can tell and feel that we all feel good about being here.”
Alex Consani, the 21-year-old fashion student who has become TikTok’s “It” girl, was also preparing to appear on the show.
“I’m trans, and I think it’s really important for people like me to be perceived as beautiful on the runway, and especially in an environment like this that’s always so cis-oriented, it’s important to bring a lot of different things. There are those types of people, and I’m grateful that I’m considered in that community,” she said.
While many of the trappings of the show were the same, the emphasis was different. And Victoria’s Secret was betting that viewers would see some of the things they loved from past shows and be treated to a more modern interpretation.
Sarah Sylvester, vice president of marketing and who organized the show’s return with Schaffer, said the brand is paying more attention to people wearing underwear.
“Putting the customer at the center of everything we do was a big point of change for us,” Sylvester said.
And he said the client was “vocal” about wanting the full show back. “We can’t argue with that.”
Shoppers will be able to catch some of the appeal right away, too.
“The fashion show is our holiday collection, and the holiday collection is our fashion show,” he said. “Bringing that connection back is just a good, smart business move, but we also love how it makes it much more accessible and inclusive for women to be a part of this.”
Similarly, people will be able to watch the show on their own terms across major social platforms.
“We’re really excited about how we’re going to make content more accessible, allowing customers to watch wherever they want, whenever they want, whether it’s live or the next day,” he said.
On TikTok specifically, Sylvester said the brand has seen its followers double in the past few months. “More low-key and behind-the-scenes content than ever before by the on-the-ground team, it performs three times better than our regular content,” he said.
— Alex Badia, contributed by Noor Lobad and Emily Mercer
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 Red Carpet Arrival Photos, Live Updates
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Launch Gallery: Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 Red Carpet Arrival Photos, Live Updates
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