Victoria’s Secret broadcast its first big fashion show since 2019 and everything about the marketing positioned the event as being significant both culturally and for the industry. There was an official countdown timer and hundreds of TikTok videos speculating who would walk for the lingerie brand, not to mention the fact almost 10 million people live-streamed it on YouTube.
Yet reactions to the event were at worst dismissive and at best, confused. CORQ’s analysts and editors shared their takes on why this big return hasn’t created the audience the brand might have hoped for.
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You can be Brat or Barbie – but you can’t be both
Watching the live show, I kept wondering what does Victoria’s Secret want from this? The brand mission seems to be caught between two ideas at every turn. Is it female empowerment or the amplification of the male gaze? Is it about body positivity or an impossible body ideal? Was it legacy porn or the ushering in of a new era? So yes, it was an all-woman production with all-women performers and Amazonian angels from the past. But it was also packed with bids for relevancy (having Chappell Roan on the soundtrack and models such as Alex Consani and Valentina Sampaio walking); also slick backs instead of blowouts, pared-down sets, sulky strutting. As a result, the show was neither camp nor cool, and instead hovered in neutral, ultimately rendering it a bit pointless. You can be Barbie or Brat, but you can’t be both.
– Emilie McMeekan, features director for CORQ.
@jadebeguelin what were your thiughts? I need ppl to talk about this with #greenscreen #vsfashionshow #vsfashionshow2024 #victoriassecret
The show drove buzz, but failed to cement brand
What is Victoria’s Secret without its Angels? The brand’s 2024 fashion show wasn’t interesting because of the clothes or iconic angel wings, but due to the legacy talent involved in the programme. OG Angels including Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo Levine, Alessandra Ambrosio, Barbara Palvin and Candice Swanepoel strutted down the runway, and Tyra Banks closed the show. The sheer talent who graced the runway is impressive – Joan Smalls, Liu Wen, Carla Bruni, Imaan Hammam and Bella and Gigi Hadid all modelled while Kate Moss, Paloma Elsesser, Ashley Graham and Alex Consani made their Victoria’s Secret fashion show debuts. This – in addition to an all-women lineup of performances from Cher, Lisa and Tyla – is what drove buzz around the show. The hair, clothes and makeup were lacklustre and there was no viral moment. The event was only buzzy because of the global appeal of its models and performers.
– Caroline Edwards, trends analyst for CORQ.
@victoriassecret It may be over, but WOW, what a show it was. Missed the iconic return of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show? Watch it now (and as many times as you’d like) on our YouTube. Missed the return of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show? Watch it now (and as many times as you’d like) on our YouTube. #VSFashionShow #VSFS #VictoriasSecret
It was nostalgic and spectacular but not shoppable
My teenage years were sponsored by Victoria’s Secret. The show was my Super Bowl, a line I saw many 90s kids share on TikTok as they live-streamed the show. I thought the event was average, but have been transfixed by the social amplification; it’s been inescapable on my feed. The live show was globally accessible on Victoria’s Secret’s Instagram and TikTok, and cleverly, many of the angels’ Stories, too. As I was scrolling at 2am, I was met with endless polarised reactions to the event. Everyone was bursting to share their opinions. Interestingly, I haven’t seen a single video of anyone saying they want to buy the clothes. I, like most I’m sure, was there for the nostalgia, the spectacle and the unattainable but addictive ridiculousness of it all. I also thought the show was genius for incorporating nepo baby London It girls Lila Moss and Stella Jones. You had Lila walking with Stella streaming it on her Instagram Story. Genius. The pink carpet was also filled with influencers documenting the action, too. I can fault many things about the show, but to me, the real-time coverage and conversations around it were everything.
– Arabella Johnson, head of beauty for CORQ.
@victoriassecret Two icons meet at a VSFashionShow— #KateMoss and @orianthi. The rest is history (literally). #VSFashionShow #VSFS #VictoriasSecret
The countdown strategy succeeded in uniting OG fans
The discourse surrounding the Victoria’s Secret show’s return took the ultra girly side of TikTok by storm, with users referring to it as their Superbowl and a healing phenomenon. In the countdown days to the event, influencers filmed themselves in its iconic pink striped pyjamas and jumped on the “I’m busy” trend tagging #october15 and #victoriassecret. The brand itself fed into the hype and posted sleepover watch party inspiration while LA-based artist Aricka shared a series of DIY Victoria Secret-inspired party favour ideas, which have had over a million views. The show’s return succeeded in uniting OG fans who shared their watch party setups, featuring all-pink attire, including Alix Earle whose video has had 7.7M views.
– Natalia Reppas, research editor for CORQ.
@alixearle Us seeing bella walk out 👁️👁️
♬ Welcome back to the Victoria secret fashion show – ᴀɴɢᴇʟꜱ🪽
The brand needs a new format to change opinions
When Victoria’s Secret cancelled its show five years ago, it had to pivot to keep up with culture. The brand’s return, in a new era of Ozempic and “skinny”, would have benefitted from reinventing its format and starting a new tradition instead of reverting to old ways. Sure, the show ticked off diversity boxes in terms of (some) body diversity, wider age representation and the casting of trans models for the first time, but other than that the event looked the same as it has always done. The styling seemed outdated, the beauty looks were average and the casting was as expected. Does it make me think of Victoria’s Secret as a brand that champions women? No. Does it make me want to buy its products? Also no. The wide social coverage is unparalleled, but will it do anything for the brand’s image?
– Dina Zubi, trends analyst for CORQ.
The talent at Burberry’s London Fashion Week S/S 25 show gave a clear view of the brand’s direction