Victoria's Secret Fashion Show asserted fairness in its endeavor, yet primarily fulfilled its role of providing an entertaining spectacle.
The Victoria's Secret runway show made its grand return on Tuesday, held at the Duggal Greenhouse in New York's Brooklyn Navy Yard. After a four-year hiatus, the iconic lingerie brand stepped back into the spotlight, aiming to refresh its image and address past controversies.
In 2018, L Brands' chief marketing officer, Edward Razek, made controversial comments about plus-size and transgender models in an interview with Vogue. These remarks were met with criticism, contributing to the brand's image issues. However, this year's show sought to change that narrative, featuring an all-woman lineup of musicians and models reflecting a more diverse and inclusive vision.
The 2023 show marked the debut of two transgender models, Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio, and plus-size models such as Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser, Kai Soleil, Devyn Garcia, and Jill Kortleve. While these models were more prominently featured, they were noticeably more covered up compared to other models.
The brand also made a conscious effort to include models over 40, with veterans like Carla Bruni, Isabeli Fontana, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Kate Moss, Eva Herzigova, and Tyra Banks gracing the runway.
Despite the brand's stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the show fell short of its lofty goals, with only 10 models representing change from previous policies. Nevertheless, the show was described as more female-driven and not restricting itself to a single version of beauty by BMO Capital Markets Managing Director Simeon Siegel.
The revised full-year outlook for Victoria's Secret expects fiscal year 2024 net sales to be down approximately 1% year over year, compared to prior guidance of down low-single digits. The show's reprise for next year is not guaranteed, as management is evaluating whether this is the right medium for messaging and whether every 12 months is the right timeframe.
The 2023 show significantly increased creator content engagements and video views, according to Traackr. There was a 57,873% increase in creator content engagements and a 23,717% increase in creator content video views from Oct. 13 through Oct. 16, compared to the same time period last month.
The show, announced as a feature-length film titled "Victoria's Secret The Tour '23," featured an all-woman lineup of musicians, including Cher, Orianthi, Tyla, and Blackpink's Lisa. Celebrities like Cardi B, Ice Spice, Queen Latifah, Tyga, Law Roach, Joseph Altuzarra, Jenna Lyons, and LaQuan Smith attended the event.
In July 2018, it was reported that L Brands CEO Leslie H. Wexner had ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Following this controversy, the Victoria's Secret fashion show was canceled. Razek departed in 2019, and the Victoria's Secret brand separated from L Brands in 2021.
Wings were a prominent fashion choice on the runway, with 30 variations spotted. The average American woman is a size 14, according to a 2024 report from MYS Insights 2024. However, there were no models at the show who reflected Victoria's Secret's previously stated interest in supporting adaptive fashion.
The search results do not provide specific information about which persons were seated in the front row of the Victoria's Secret Runway Show in 2023. The brand's journey towards embracing diversity and inclusion is ongoing, and it will be interesting to see how it continues to evolve in the future.
