After a four-year absence, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is set to return in 2023. For many years, the show has been a special event for fashion enthusiasts and fans of the lingerie brand alike.
This comeback will feature new looks, innovative designs, and some of the most beautiful models worldwide. With its return, it will surely be one of the most talked about events of 2023.
After A 4-Year Break, Victoria’s Secret Returns
It has been confirmed that Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show will return after a long absence. According to the company’s chief financial officer Timothy Johnson, during the earnings call on Friday, the brand intends to revamp its former annual show after a four-year hiatus to make it more appealing to customers.
“We’re going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business, both at top-of-funnel and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year,” he said in the statement.
On Saturday, a Victoria’s Secret & Co. spokesperson revealed that to maintain our commitment to championing women’s voices and their unique perspectives, the brand constantly innovates and comes up with new ideas in every aspect of its business. In addition, the company is committed to placing the customer at the center of all we do and reinforcing our commitment to customer satisfaction.
A statement from the company concluded, “As we’ve previously shared, our new brand projection and mission will continue to be our guiding principle. This will lead us into new spaces, like reclaiming one of our best marketing and entertainment properties to date and turning it on its head to reflect who we are today. We’re excited to share more later this year.”
VS Fashion Show Was Cancelled In November 2019
Several controversies surrounding the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, including the death of Jeffrey Epstein, led to its cancellation in November 2019. As well as Les Wexner’s close ties to the disgraced mogul, who is facing charges of sex trafficking and the abuse of underage girls, declining sales, and body image problems, another problem has been affecting his sales.
In February 2020, a report published in The New York Times resulted in more backlash against the company and was followed by more backlash months later. A report by the Chamber of Commerce accuses Victoria’s Secret’s former chief marketing officer Edward Razek and the parent company of L Brands of working to create a culture of misogyny, bullying, and harassment at Victoria’s Secret.
Razek denied the allegations at the time of publication in an email sent to the Times. He wrote that the allegations in this reporting are categorically untrue, misinterpreted, or taken out of context. During his career, he has worked with an array of world-class models and gifted professionals, and he has taken great pride in his mutual respect for each of them.
The former top executive was not the first to make headlines because of his actions. As a result of Razek’s controversial and out-of-touch comments in a previous Vogue interview published in August 2019, the company announced Razek would resign.
In his interview, he stated that Victoria’s Secret fashion shows would not accommodate plus-sized or transgender models because the show was a fantasy show. In response to the statement, the brand received backlash from the public.
A Brief History Of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
In 1995, Victoria’s Secret launched its first fashion show. It has become a cultural phenomenon since its humble beginnings in New York City. In 1995, Victoria’s Secret held its first fashion show at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Although the lighting was better by 1996, the show remained focused on lingerie. 1998 marked the beginning of the show’s growth.
It was the wings that became the focal point of the show by 1999. Models such as Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, and Gisele Bündchen began to be recognized during these early years. With enormous wings, the 2005 show returned after a hiatus in 2004. The 2005 Angels also took a group photo.
A return to the Lexington Avenue Armory was scheduled for 2009. The wings from Victoria’s Secret 2010 couldn’t beat them. 2010 had more giant props than ever before. Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena hosted the runway show in 2017, which featured 56 models. The show’s viewership dropped in 2019 after Ed Razek, the former chief marketing officer of L Brands, said the show shouldn’t feature transsexuals since it is a fantasy.
The show’s return marks a new era for Victoria’s Secret as it looks to reinvent itself after years of declining sales. The company is now focusing on more inclusive marketing strategies and creating lingerie collections that cater to different body types. With these changes, the 2023 fashion show is expected to be bigger and better.
