The first Victoria’s Secret show took place in 1995 at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Back then, the audience did not see any of today’s iconic attributes of “angels”: no wings, no tiaras, and no glitter. By the way, there was no broadcast on TV either and the invited top celebrities. Despite the apparent success of the shows, its parent company L Brands, has confirmed the show’s cancellation.
Among the reasons for the show’s cancellation, many fashion experts call the policy pursued by Victoria’s Secret, which did not meet modern consumer expectations. The company has been repeatedly caught in cultural appropriation, fatphobia, transphobia, and lookism. Perhaps the key factor behind the show’s closing was the need to minimize losses for the company. Since 2014, the company’s sales have been falling for four years in a row (Hanbury, 2021).
Since such a decision will enable the company to analyze the strategic mistakes made in its policy and return with a renewed outlook, the essay’s author is convinced that it was the right move. Economic indicators and the public’s attitude towards the brand prove that Victoria’s Secret is now going through hard times. The show contributed to the formation of a negative image of the company since “a lack of inclusivity and diversity on the runway” has made “the cancellation of the show not super surprising (Singh, 2019).”
To attract new customers, the company will need to start adhering to more ethical business practices. It will be necessary to expand the size range of products and use models of different racial identities in product advertising (Glasheen, 2019). Many clients are now interested in maintaining sustainable brands. Since Victoria Secret can hardly be called an environmentally friendly brand, the discussion about the closure of the “angel show” and the economic failure of the brand is also relevant in the context of the concept of sustainability.
References
Glasheen J. (2019). Five strategies for Victoria’s Secret in 2020. CB4. Web.
Hanbury M. (2021). The rise and fall of Victoria’s Secret, America’s biggest lingerie retailer. Business Insider. Web.
Singh K. (2019). We did it: The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is cancelled! Flare. Web.