2005: Hot, colorful, half-naked! The beauties Naomi Campbell, Karolina Kurkova, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bündchen, Adriana Lima, Selita Ebanks, and Alessandra Ambrosio (from left) at the tenth “Victoria’s Secret” show

DLNews Fashion:

Victoria's Secret has tried to reinvent itself since its #MeToo mega-crisis in 2020. Now it seems clear: the “woke” wash cycle (the movement calls for “vigilance” against discrimination) doesn’t get the hot laundry…

According to its information, “Victoria’s Secret” is still the largest underwear retailer in North America, with a market share of around 20 percent. BUT: Sales, which used to be boosted by flawless catwalk angels like Heidi Klum (50) or Gisele Bündchen (43), are plummeting!

According to CNN, $6.2 billion is forecast for 2023. This is a decrease of five percent compared to the previous year. AND: Even less than in the crisis year of 2020, when “Victoria’s Secret” generated 7.5 billion.

As a VS brand ambassador, Megan Rapinoe (2019 “World Footballer of the Year”) presented various cotton sets from the legendary label in 2022.

“We all know the company's performance, and it is clear that something is not going according to plan,” CEO Martin Waters recently told US reports. “The harsh reality is that we are not where we need to be with the most important aspect of our work in 2023, namely strengthening the core of the company.”

Copied from “SKIMS”? “Victoria's Secret” also tried to convince customers with lingerie sets in various skin tones and models of different ethnicities.

The declared goal - a radical redesign of the label towards cultural relevance and diversity (including the lesbian soccer player Megan Rapinoe, 38, transgender model Valentina Sampaio, 26, and Down syndrome model Sofía Jirau, 27), AWAY from the oversexualized Image (thongs, feathers, wicked almost-nothing fumbles) –failed!

The core customer base (women aged 18 to 49) flies to trendy brands such as Rihanna's (35) "Savage of the company: $4 billion).

Because they are young, diverse, and sexy... “Victoria’s Secret” followed the trend. Feminism AND wicked laundry? The customers of the struggling cult brand don't buy that.

Heavenly beauties! Karolina Kurkova, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bündchen, and Adriana Lima (from left) were among the top stars of numerous VS shows.

Bitter: After “Victoria's Secret” officially ended the era of its catwalk angels in 2021, the following year, the former regular models Heidi Klum, Alessandra Ambrosio (42), Tyra Banks (49) and Candice Swanepoel (35) appeared as “SKIMS “Beauties in Kim Kardashian's campaign!

Consequence? A return to more sexiness!

“Victoria’s Secret” has just tried to revive the format of its runway shows with “The Tour ‘23” (a kind of pop culture project streamed on Amazon Prime).

Creed? “Sexiness can be inclusive,” said brand president Greg Unis at a presentation to investors in New York. “Sexiness can celebrate our customers’ diverse experiences, and that’s what we focus on.”

The company suffered a blow to its image three years ago because of its blatant sex factor: a smeared stock and an end to the lingerie show.

At the beginning of 2020, serious allegations against “Victoria’s Secret” owner Les Wexner (86) became public. According to the “New York Times,” he had run the company with a “culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment.”

AND: Wexner tolerated for years that the convicted pedophile and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (†66) tried to recruit young lingerie models as sex slaves. One model told the New York Times: "It was a casting for prostitutes."

Bella Hadid (27, left) and Taylor Hill (27, right) with plus-size beauty Paloma Elsesser (31) and South Sudanese Adut Akech Bior (23). The new Victoria's Secret course has turned off some old fans. They miss the unrealistic “fantasy brand” and the “glamour catwalk.”

Now, the brand wants to return to its sensual strengths. Without exclusion. In focus? Improve profitability and increase annual sales to over $7 billion.

“Classic” lingerie darlings are supposed to bring traction – including Hailey Bieber (26) and Adriana Lima (42), but also young stars such as Kate Moss's daughter Lila Grace (21) and Jude Law's daughter Iris (23).

Will the new guard of laundry angels bring about an upswing without wings?

The company’s history – from cult to knockout

“Victoria’s Secret” was founded 1977 by US entrepreneur Roy Raymond. His idea? A small chain of boudoir lingerie stores as “male-friendly women’s stores.” He chose the name “Victoria” based on Queen Victoria, “Secret” was intended to refer to what is hidden under clothing.

In 1982, Les Wexner bought the company for $1 million.

Hundreds of branches were opened across America, but the “Victoria’s Secret” catwalk event (including Stephanie Seymour, now 55) in New York’s Plaza Hotel in 1995 caused the cult label’s big bang.

1995: Model Leilani (now 47) at the very first “Victoria’s Secret” show at the Plaza Hotel (New York)

From 2001, the annual show was broadcast on television, and supermodels such as Helena Christensen (54), Karen Mulder (53), and Naomi Campbell (53) stripped down to the skimpiest of creations.

Marketing boss Ed Razek (75) described the show as a “fantasy” - which is why neither plus-size nor transgender models were booked for the “Victoria’s Secret” catwalk for years. Consequence? In light of the #MeToo movement from 2017 onwards, the brand appeared increasingly sexist and no longer up-to-date.

CEO Martin Waters concluded: “We have not differentiated ourselves sufficiently in this difficult market. But our goal of being the world’s leading underwear retailer remains unchanged.”