When it comes to lingerie and underwear, there are few brands as famous and well-known as Victoria’s Secret. The company was founded in 1977 by Roy Raymond, and it quickly became known for its sexy, feminine products. The brand is a pillar in the retail industry and has a presence in many countries around the world. In addition to its brick-and-mortar stores, Victoria’s Secret also has an extensive online presence and e-commerce platform.
Victoria’s Secret has long cultivated a fantasy image of the perfect woman, and the annual fashion show has become a major event in the lingerie calendar. The models chosen for the shows and tv commercials are not simply models, but rather “Angels.” This title gives the women an air of mystique and glamour that has made them some of the most popular and highest paid models in the business.
The company was founded in 1977 by Roy Raymond, who wanted to buy his wife some nice underwear. When he went to purchase her some bras, he was disappointed to find that most of the options were lacey and lacy, and that few offered a thong. This is when he had the idea to launch a line of sexy, feminine bras and thongs under the name Victoria’s Secret.
In the early 1980s, Victoria’s Secret was on the verge of bankruptcy when it was acquired by Les Wexner, founder of L Brands (which later merged with Limited). Wexner hired Ed Razek to help him shape the company’s branding and marketing strategies, and Razek helped Victoria’s Secret become a wildly successful and profitable enterprise.
Over the years, the brand’s ideal woman grew more raunchy, and the Angels started appearing in high-concept, big budget commercials. In one memorable campaign, the company used computer-generated imagery to show an angel flying through a city in her sexy lingerie, surrounded by sultry music.
The company continued to grow, and the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show became a major event in the lingerie industry. Fans would wait in anticipation to see which of the angels was selected to model the year’s highly bejeweled piece, which is often referred to as the Fantasy bra. The show has featured everything from diamonds to Swarovski crystals, and each year an angel would be presented with her own set of wings.
But in 2018, public outcry over the lack of diversity at Victoria’s Secret intensified. The company’s chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, gave a controversial interview to Vogue in which he stated that the company did not feature plus-size models or transgender women because they were not “marketable.” The backlash was so intense that Victoria’s Secret canceled its fashion show in 2024.
The company has since revived the show, and it will continue to showcase its beautiful and exotic Angels. However, the controversy over racism and gender bias has tarnished the company’s reputation. It remains to be seen if the Victoria’s Secret show can regain its popularity and market relevance.