by Victoria’s Secret is bringing back its fashion show and wants it to be bigger and more inclusive than ever.
Although the exact date and location of the fashion show has not yet been revealed, the two show producers, long-time Victoria’s Secret executives, are hopeful that this version will be something that audiences have not seen before.
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In a joint interview Tuesday, Janie Schaffer, chief design and creative officer, and Sarah Sylvester, executive vice president of marketing, discussed what they’re planning for the show’s big spin-off and how it will differ from previous shows.
“We’ve moved on a lot as a business over the last three years, and we’re making a huge difference. We’re very comfortable with where we’re going as a brand, and we’re very confident,” said Schaffer. “This is really a celebration of everything we do. Believe me, we’ve put out such fans that there’s an aspect where people are saying, ‘You bring it back just like it was before. Bring back exactly the same models, and don’t change a thing!’” she said.
But changes are underway.
“It’s going to be bigger and better than what everyone has seen before,” said Schaffer, who joined the company in 2008, left in 2012, and will return in 2020. The new show is meant to be is “a celebration of how great the fashion show was … but through the lens of today’s Victoria’s Secret, rather than the Victoria’s Secret of the past.”
The last Victoria’s Secret show, which took place in 2018, featured Victoria’s Secret Angels and musical performances by Shawn Mendes, Rita Ora, The Chainsmokers, Bebe Rexha, Halsey, Leela James, Kelsea Ballerini and The Struts. It was taped at Pier 94 in New York and later aired on ABC. It aired the same year Rihanna’s Savage by Fenty launched with a brand built to be inclusive.
At the time, Victoria’s Secret was part of L Brands, and a 2020 exposé in the New York Times alleged “a culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment.” The brand’s annual TV special was canceled in 2019, and Ed Razek, the fashion show’s longtime chief marketing officer, left after facing backlash for refusing to hire plus-size or transgender models.
In 2021, Victoria’s Secret was spun off as an independent public company, and in 2023, the brand returned to the small screen with “The Victoria’s Secret World Tour.” Airing on Prime, the documentary highlighted the VS20, a group of 20 global creatives who devised custom looks for the brand’s runway models.
VS & Co posted a $4 million net loss in the most recent quarter, ended May 4, on a 3.4 percent year-over-year decline in sales to $1.36 billion for the quarter.
Focusing on Inclusivity
According to Sylvester, Victoria’s Secret is looking at DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in everything they do from the runway to the whole business.
“That is the most important part of our change in recent years. We want to be a brand that every woman can be a part of, whether it’s watching the show, getting our first fitting bra and following us on social. The fashion show is the ultimate expression of that,” said Sylvester, a 19-year veteran of Victoria’s Secret.
“All women will be represented [on the runway]. It’s very important,” Schaffer said.
The assortment will also be salable, and viewers will be able to purchase the holiday personal wear collection immediately, along with VS Sport, which will be shown on the runway.
“It’s just another way to make the brand more accessible and inclusive, and you can buy what you see on the runway,” Schaffer said.
Television and Wings
Sylvester would not say whether the show will be televised or streamed live online. “We’re looking at all our options,” she said. “We are very curious how that will be expressed in new and more modern ways. We are very focused on our customer and where she spends her time. We’re curious about what that might mean this year. It might be TV like it used to be.”
So does that mean it could show up on the Internet? “We’re exploring all our options,” Sylvester said.
So far, Victoria’s Secret has confirmed that Taylor Hill, an American model and former Victoria’s Secret Angel, and Mayowa Nicholas, a Nigerian model, will walk in the fashion show. Nicholas is walking the show for the first time. Hill also appears in the fall ad campaign.
Schaffer recalled that when they posted on Instagram that the show would be returning this fall, “it was extraordinary.
“We had such an incredible reaction. I think he broke all our records from Instagram to Tik Tok. Ninety-eight percent positive comments came from people who were just desperate to see the show come back, and we had over 10 billion impressions,” Schaffer said.
The wings will definitely be coming back. “We love the metaphorical wings from strength to vulnerability, everything that a woman encompasses. For us, we are taking the wings. It’s going to be full of beautiful wings,” Schaffer said.
Schaffer could not specify the exact number of models that will participate. “There will be a lot of models. I think we’re going to break the record for the number of models walking the show. We also have a very large holiday collection. There are so many areas of our business that we want to represent,” she said.
“It will be an all-singing affair. There will be a lot of entertainment, a lot of models, a lot of wings, a lot of glamour. It will be absolutely beautiful,” she said.
Hope To Be On The Runway
The brand is working with stylists, art directors and artists to “surprise” the customer – in lingerie and clothes, said Schaffer.
“It will feel like an extraordinary fashion show,” Schaffer said.
Sylvester added that they plan to showcase their new Sports collection which will be shown on the runway “in a fun and unexpected way”.
Victoria’s Secret previously had a successful Sportswear collection, but walked away from that business, Schaffer said. The company has now brought back VS Sport and it features technical fabrics seen through a high fashion lens.
“A fashion show is a great way to showcase Victoria’s Secret’s attitude to Sport,” said Schaffer. The range includes reflective outerwear to use technical fabrics for leggings. “Our sports are second to none. We already have the world’s largest sports bra with our Featherweight Max. They are light but very strong. You can work out with them, and wear them all day. It really allows us to bring our best category, which is bras, to the customer,” said Schaffer.
Victoria’s Secret launched the Featherweight Max bra last year and just added a feather-tight front bra; Another new product will be introduced this fall, as will a major marketing push.
Sylvester said the campaign shot in England will launch on Thursday. “We have a really big program where we want to be on your social feed, away, video, really just everywhere,” Sylvester said.
The Female View
Sylvester and Schaffer have been with the company for a long time, but have never produced a fashion show, Sylvester said.
“We don’t have a lot of preconceived notions that ‘you have to do this, or you have to do that’, which was really fun for us,” said Sylvester. She said they were able to think outside the box with things that were restrictive before.
“He’s also giving it a woman’s perspective,” Schaffer said. “It’s amazing when you look at the business today, and when you look at the fact that Sarah and I are working on this show, and then if you look at everyone involved with the show and everyone designing the product, we are all women. . That is a fundamental change in the business,” she said. “Once you’re looking at it through a woman’s eyes, it feels so different.”
Launch Gallery: Victoria’s Secret Is Set to Return to the Runway
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