Victoria’s Secret brings back iconic fashion show with revamp after 4 year hiatus

Iconic lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret is bringing back its much talked about runway show after a hiatus of approximately four years. The show, which in its peak saw supermodels and celebrities walking the runway with outrageous wings and rhinestone cladded bras, is also said to be getting a revamp.

In a statement to Washington Post the company said that it is innovating its business and as such will be bringing back one of its “best marketing and entertainment properties to date” – of course, in a manner which reflects the brand of today. What that entails however, was not elaborated upon.

Over the past few years, on its social media pages, the brand has notably featured women of different sizes and colours. Its ad campaigns have also evolved to embody empowerment.

But these changes did not come without scrutiny of its show which was running since 1995. Ultimately, L Brands’ EVP and CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer said during an earnings call that while the show was a very important part of the brand building of this business and was an important aspect of the brand and a remarkable marketing achievement, it did not yield “ material impact on the next few days result.”

Moreover, while the show used to get 12 million viewers in 2001, it dropped drastically to 3.3 million in 2018 due to consumer interest dwindling in its unrealistic view of female sexuality, according to The Washington Post.  

Don't miss: Victoria's Secret signature fashion show on TV comes to a halt, aims to evolve

Meanwhile on the internet, viewers were split on how the show’s return, with some celebrating its return, while others skeptical.

Singer Lizzo said “This is a win for inclusivity for inclusivity’s sake. But if brands start doing this only because they’ve received backlash then what happens when the ‘trends’ change again? Do the CEOs of these companies value true inclusivity? Or do they just value money?

To her tweet, consumers responded that the brand hasn’t yet built a brand for inclusivity and profited by perpetuating a certain beauty standard for years.

“It’s cute attempt but too late,” the twitter user added.

Several also compared it to the likes of Rihanna’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, which was held up as a brand that showcased sexy through diversity.

While the jury is out on what the changes for the brand’s fashion show will be and how it will revive its growth, revenue report for the fourth quarter of 2022 showed that compared to the previous year’s fourth quarter of net sales of US$2.175 billion, there’s a 7% decrease (net sales of US$2.021 billion for the fourth quarter of 2022).

Meanwhile just last year, the brand entered the metaverse, following in the footsteps of many fashion brands which have all doubled down on their strategy in this trending field. According to the application filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the lingerie company filed several trademarks on 8 February 2022 for its metaverse plans. Trademark lawyer, Mike Kondoulis confirmed the news on Twitter.

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