Victoria’s Secret is bringing its runway show back, the company announced Wednesday.
In an Instagram post, the intimates retailer said the show will “reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love.”
The televised lingerie fashion show began in 1995 and was last hosted in 2018. At its peak it drew over 10 million viewers and featured top models including Gisele Bundchen and Kendall Jenner. In the late 2010s, however, the event saw its viewership dwindle as it faced scrutiny for its casting of predominantly white, thin and cisgender models as calls for inclusivity were gaining steam in the fashion industry. In 2019, the event was put on an indefinite hiatus.
Since then, the company has attempted to revamp its image through a push for diversity — it added more women to its board, increased its size range and cast more diverse models. Despite the shift, Victoria’s Secret continued to lose market share to new lingerie upstarts including Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty, which also produces its own fashion show.
Last year, in an attempt to offer a modern update to the show, the company produced a feature-length film showcasing fashion collections from artists in four cities around the world which was available to stream on Amazon Prime. The film missed the mark with viewers who felt the documentary was not in line with the brand’s image. One Amazon Prime reviewer wrote, ”I have never been less interested in the brand itself until after watching this. As a teen, when VS was at its height of success, I was obsessed … Now as an adult who actually can afford to spend the money I wish I had 10 years ago, I wouldn’t step foot in the place after this catastrophe.”
The revival of the runway will “deliver precisely what our customers have been asking for — the glamour, runway, fashion, fun, wings, entertainment,” the company said in an email.
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Why Victoria’s Secret Is Bringing Sexy Back
A much-hyped image revamp has failed to win back customers. On Thursday, the company told investors about Plan B: spruce up stores, expand into new categories and bring back a bit of the old Victoria’s Secret. As one executive put it, “sexiness can be inclusive.”