Victoria's Secret returns to the runway with a new attitude

Victoria's Secret slipped back into its angel wings and took to the runway again after a six-year hiatus.

The return was loud and proud, with high-profile celebrities, influencers and a cross-generational, all-female musical line-up of Cher, Tyla and Lisa turning out for the live event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Grace Elizabeth, Taylor Hill and Tyra Banks, who last appeared for Victoria's Secret in 2005, all took their turn on the runway.

The show opened with amazing pink princess looks led by Gigi Hadid, while dazzling purple ensembles embodied female superheroes. Black lace and leather rock 'n' roll, as seen on surprise supermodel icon Kate Moss, mixed more everyday styles with the brand's signature sexy lingerie look (there was also a small amount of activewear with leggings toward the end of the show and zippers). -up hoodies in the mix) before the show closed with Cher's “Believe” with holiday-themed pink and red ensembles.

There were wings galore, in many shapes, sizes and materials such as feathers, candy wrapper tulle, sequins and more. But the brand really impressed with its mega cast of models, filled with Victoria's Secret models and icons from decades past.

Streamed live on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Amazon Live, the show was full of glamor and glitz and had a direct commercial purpose. For the first time, the lingerie on the runway – sans wings and theatrical pieces – was immediately available for purchase.

Victoria's Secret is thinking differently and exuding more confidence as it works to get its business back into growth mode.

It's telling that the brand was ready to come full circle and define itself for the future – and achieve this balancing act via global livestream.

“It's always going to be about feeling sexy,” said Janie Schaffer, chief designer and creative director, in an interview before the show. “We are Victoria's Secret. But it's sexy for everyone. We have 57 bra sizes. When it comes to bra sizes, we go all the way up. We have an extensive and beautiful lingerie collection and we really wanted to celebrate that on the runway.”

Of course there were the famous angel wings and models, but also, as Schaffer put it, “confident women of many different shapes and sizes.”

“Behind the scenes, it's a whole different animal,” she said, referring specifically to what the runway will look like that will be available for sale.

The program was previously edited, arranged and refined before being broadcast on terrestrial television.

“This is about living in the moment. Whatever happens, happens. Truly an authentic journey,” said Schaffer. “Everyone can see it in real time.”

Victoria's Secret made a splash when it televised its 2001 fashion show, causing 12.4 million viewers to put down the remote control.

But it was part of a va-va-voom approach to sexy that ultimately left the brand out of step with cultural trends as the market evolved and younger, more diverse brands took hold.

Now, after some time in the wilderness, a corporate spinoff, sales and inventory declines, and last month the appointment of a new chief executive — former Savage x Fenty CEO Hillary Super — Victoria's Secret has taken the plunge back into prime time.

The brand is clearly looking for a boost from the show. Sales fell 2 percent to $2.8 billion in the first half of the year, and net profit amounted to $28.2 million. A decline in sales of around 1 percent is expected for the year as a whole.

Before the show, the mood backstage made it clear that some things had changed.

Ashley Graham, who was preparing to appear at her first show for the brand, said: “This is about representation and it's about Victoria's Secret giving everyone who has always felt bigger when they haven't been served,” Yes' says.” And that's the biggest thing. I said yes to VS because I really wanted to make our bodies conscious on the runway.”

“I'm so glad Victoria's Secret finally got the memo,” Graham said. “They come in larger sizes, they have curvy queens everywhere.”

Gigi Hadid said the increased focus on diversity was “necessary and required for the people who watch and love this show.”

“It's important to take a few years to not only think about this project, but also for the brand to just follow its steps,” she said. “This is a show run by women who are in charge of this company, and I think you can tell and feel that we all just feel comfortable here.”

Alex Consani, the 21-year-old fashion student who became TikTok's “it” girl, was also on hand getting ready for the show.

“I'm trans, and I think it's really important that people like me are seen as beautiful on the runway, and especially in an environment like this, which has always been very cis-oriented, it's important, a lot of different things “I'm just grateful that I was thought of in this community,” she said.

While many features of the show were the same, the focus was different. And Victoria's Secret was betting that viewers would see some of what they loved in previous shows and be drawn to the more modern version.

Sarah Sylvester, executive vice president of marketing who organized the show's return with Schaffer, said the brand is paying more attention to the people who actually wear the lingerie.

“Putting the customer at the center of everything we do was a big game changer for us,” said Sylvester.

And she said the customer was “loud” about wanting the entire show back. “We can’t argue about that.”

Buyers can also secure a bit of glamor for themselves.

“The fashion show is our Christmas collection, and the Christmas collection is our fashion show,” she said. “Bringing connectivity back is just a good, smart business move, but we also love how it makes it so much more accessible and inclusive for women to be a part of.”

Likewise, people can watch the show on their terms across major social platforms.

“Giving customers the ability to watch where they want, when they want, whether live or next day – we’re really excited about how we’re making the content more accessible,” she said.

On TikTok in particular, Sylvester said the brand has seen its follower count double in recent months. “The content, produced in a more raw and behind-the-scenes manner than ever before by the on-site team, is three times as good as our normal content,” she said.

— With contributions from Alex Badia, Noor Lobad and Emily Mercer