The show was cancelled after facing controversies and lowering viewership.
WASHINGTON — The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is coming back after a four-year hiatus.
Officials with the lingerie brand announced the show's return during a call with investors Friday.
ThL Be fashion show is an elaborate affair used to market the brand's goods in high-profile settings. Models with the company, known as Victoria's Secret Angels, wore elaborate costumed lingerie and walked themed catwalks to music by top artists.
Victoria's Secret chief financial officer Timothy Johnson said the show will be revamped after controversies shut it down in 2019.
The previous version of the show was run by L Brands, the corporate parent company Victoria's Secret split from in 2021. But the new one will be the first run solely by the lingerie brand.
“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,” Johnson said.
Part of the show's decline in the late 2010s was the fallout from then CEO of L Brands Les Wexner's close ties with sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein.
The lingerie show also received backlash from advocates over how it portrayed women's bodies, with opponents saying it objectified women and wasn't inclusive of different body types.
In recent years, the brand has attempted to change this image, introducing transgender models, a model with Down syndrome and even a male model.
One of the big drivers of the show's hiatus was declining sales and ratings. Its first airing in 2001 was the peak of its ratings, with 12.4 million viewers. Over the years, that has steadily declined, hitting a record low of only 3.27 million in 2018, according to W magazine.
When then-CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer announced the show wouldn't be happening in 2019, he cited sales figures indicating there was no jump in the number of women shopping for Victoria's Secret products in the days after the show.
It's unclear when the show will return, but previous iterations were held near the end of the year.
As someone deeply immersed in the fashion industry, I've closely followed the trajectory of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and its associated controversies. The show's cancellation in 2019 stemmed from a confluence of issues, notably declining viewership and a backlash over the brand's portrayal of women's bodies, which was seen as exclusionary and objectifying.
One pivotal factor in its decline was the fallout from the association between then-CEO of L Brands, Les Wexner, and Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. This tarnished the brand's reputation significantly. Additionally, criticism about the lack of diversity and inclusivity, specifically regarding body types, mounted over the years.
To counter this negative image, Victoria's Secret took steps toward inclusivity by featuring transgender models, a model with Down syndrome, and even a male model in their attempts to reshape their brand narrative. However, despite these efforts, declining sales and ratings persisted, leading to the decision to revamp the show and invest more heavily in marketing strategies.
The initial success of the show, reaching its peak viewership of 12.4 million in 2001, gradually waned, plummeting to a record low of 3.27 million viewers in 2018. This decline correlated with a diminishing impact on sales, as observed by the lack of notable spikes in product purchases following the show's airing.
The return of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, as announced by the brand's officials during an investor call, signifies a revamped version that will be exclusively managed by the lingerie brand itself. Timothy Johnson, the company's chief financial officer, emphasized their commitment to investing in this show and overall marketing strategies to reinvigorate the brand.
The show's previous ties to L Brands, from which Victoria's Secret separated in 2021, underscore the shift in management and strategy. While the exact date of the show's return remains unclear, its historical timing near the end of the year might offer a clue.
This resurgence is part of a larger narrative in the fashion industry, as seen with other brands like Lucky Brand, which faced bankruptcy and store closings, reflecting the evolving landscape and challenges within the retail sector.
Megan Rapinoe's involvement in a group of 'trailblazing' women set to replace the traditional Victoria's Secret Angels further underscores the industry's shifting paradigm toward inclusivity and representation.
This comprehensive analysis ties together the intricate threads of corporate rebranding, societal critique, and market dynamics that have shaped the rise, fall, and imminent return of the iconic Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
