Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returns with Modern Touch

The message on Tuesday night in Brooklyn was simple: after a six-year hiatus, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back, and the lingerie brand’s future is being shaped by women.

The presence of the female gaze was felt throughout the evening with a production that featured an all-women musical lineup and a diverse cast of models wearing more sophisticated — and in some cases, more comfortable-looking lingerie, including leggings and sheer coverups.

Lisa from K-pop supergroup Blackpink kicked off the event with an opening performance, and Gigi Hadid rose from the stage floor on a catwalk that resembled a combination of the “Barbie” movie set and an ’80s video game. Hadid, along with other models, wore the brand’s signature angel wings, with faux feather versions approved by PETA.

There appeared to be more Brown and Black faces on the runway than at any time in the show’s history, many of whom wore natural hairstyles, as well as some plus-sized and older models walking.

The crowd screamed as Adriana Lima — one of the original Victoria’s Secret “Angels” — charged down the runway alongside some of fashion’s most in-demand models: Bella Hadid, Alex Consani and Paloma Elsesser. Kate Moss, who turned 50 in January, made her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut, with her daughter Lila also modeling.

A highlight of the evening was Cher, who delivered a show-stealing performance of “Believe” and “Strong Enough.” Fashion journalist Roxanne Robinson told CNN, “the models could have been naked, and no one would have noticed.”

For decades, Victoria’s Secret was the self-proclaimed epitome of sexy, becoming ubiquitous in American malls in the 1990s. The brand defined femininity with barely-covered supermodels in catalogs, campaigns, and its annual catwalk.

First streamed online in 1999, then televised in 2001, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show became a spectacle watched by millions in 200 countries, featuring performances by Destiny’s Child, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West.

However, its time-worn playbook of largely White, rail-thin models lost its luster in the late 2010s. The brand faced accusations of sexism, ageism, and a refusal to cater to women of all shapes and sizes, particularly following controversial comments by a marketing executive at its then-parent company, L Brands, in 2018.

By that year, the fashion show’s viewership had already dropped sharply, from 9.7 million in 2013 to 3.3 million. At the same time, new brands like Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty embraced inclusive sizing and more diverse casting in its campaigns and events.

In 2019, L Brands canceled the show indefinitely, but last year, Victoria’s Secret attempted to revive the format through the film “Victoria’s Secret: The Tour,” spotlighting collections by designers from Lagos, Bogotá, London, and Tokyo. Narrated by Gigi Hadid, the film featured models such as Naomi Campbell and Winnie Harlow.

“The last couple years have been marked by a bunch of different attempts of throwing things at the wall, seeing what sticks, and as a result, the messaging is a bit muddled,” said fashion journalist Chantal Fernandez, author of “Selling Sexy” with Lauren Sherman.

Tuesday’s multi-racial, -size and -generational cast is Victoria’s Secret’s latest attempt at a rebrand, now streamed live on its social media rather than as a heavily edited television special.

Sarah Sylvester, Victoria’s Secret executive vice president of marketing, referred to it as an acknowledgment of their DNA while evolving to be “more modern and more inclusive.” She stated they were listening to their customers who “wanted the show to return.”

Former executive vice president of design Sharleen Ernster stated that the emphasis on sexiness over comfort had hurt the brand’s bottom line. She noted issues like the leadership ignoring pushes to promote more comfortable wireless bralettes or expand into diverse sizing.

Victoria’s Secret remains well-known in the lingerie market, though it is far from its peak of Y2K cultural dominance. The brand spent the last four years attempting to regain cultural relevance.

A former executive defended the rebrand attempts to CNN, saying the new leadership faced “significant challenges,” working to fix the company’s reputation and create a world where women felt comfortable with the brand.