Why Were The Victoria's Secret Angels Cancelled?
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Victoria's Secret is one of the most well-known lingerie brands across the globe and it owes a big part of its fame to the iconic Victoria's Secret Angels which certainly contributed immensely to the brand's success. Stars like Tyra Banks, Gisele Bündchen, and Adriana Lima shaped the way beauty was interpreted by fans, and millions across the globe tuned in for the brand's annual fashion show just to see the ladies walk.
However, today, the brand looks completely different — the Victoria's Secret Angels don't exist anymore, and the fashion show is also history. Keep on scrolling to find out why Victoria's Secret decided to cut some of the most important parts of its marketing strategy!
The Origin Of The Victoria's Secret Angels
The Victoria's Secret Angels were created in 1997 after models Helena Christensen, Karen Mulder, Daniela Peštová, Stephanie Seymour, and Tyra Banks appeared in an ad to promote Victoria's Secret's "Angels" underwear collection. Quickly, the five were dubbed the Victoria's Secret Angels.
Because of the initial success of the campaign, the brand decided to keep adding to the elite group of models who were carefully picked to be the voice of Victoria's Secret. Even though there have been hundreds of Victoria's Secret models (some of which have been controversial), only some have gained the status of Angels. The most famous Victoria's Secret Angels include Gisele Bündchen, Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Lily Aldridge, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Karlie Kloss, Chanel Iman, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
According to model Elsa Hosk, becoming a Victoria's Secret Angel brings a lot of responsibility. "Becoming an Angel means you are officially part of the family of Victoria's Secret," Hosk said. "You are a spokesperson for the whole brand, and that is such a cool thing because it's one of the biggest, most amazing brands in the world."
The Reason The Victorias Secret Fashion Show Got Canceled
There is no doubt that the Victoria's Secret Angels were one of the most recognizable parts of the brand, alongside its iconic yearly fashion show. However, in late 2019, the brand confirmed that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show — which has been running yearly since 2001 — is getting canceled. The reason for this is that L Brands (the parent company of Victoria’s Secret) wanted to "evolve the marketing" of the lingerie brand, and the show wasn't going to be a part of that.
According to L Brands' CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer, the fashion show didn't have any noticeable impact on sales, which is why it was cut. "Did we see specific material impact on short-term sales response to the airing of the fashion show, as a general matter the answer to that question is no," Burgdoerfer revealed. "So if you’re like, ‘Oh my God, Stuart, are you freaked out about the day after the fashion show result and what’s going to happen?’, it did air at different times over the years and we didn’t see a material impact on the next few days’ results."
The Reason The Victoria's Secret Angels Got Canceled
After almost 23 years of their signature Victoria's Secret Angels, the brand decided to say goodbye to them in 2021. In 2020, the brand underwent some major changes as its longtime leader Les Wexner stepped down. This meant that a brand new executive team was hired including a new marketing head and creative director. The company's new CEO Martin Waters revealed that the brand is looking to become more inclusive. "We're moving from what men want to what women want," he said. "From sexy for a few to sexy for all. It's about including most women rather than excluding most women and being grounded in real life, rather than mostly unattainable." Fans were divided about how they felt about this decision.
In an Instagram post from June 2021, the brand announced its new direction as it announced the launch of The VS Collective meant to shape the future of Victoria's Secret. "We are proud to announce an exciting new partnership platform, #TheVSCollective, designed to shape the future of Victoria’s Secret," the famous brand wrote on Instagram. "These extraordinary partners, with their unique backgrounds, interests and passions will collaborate with us to create revolutionary product collections, compelling and inspiring content, new internal associate programs and rally support for causes vital to women."
The new approach included appealing to a wider range of customers thanks to involving activists, athletes, and famous celebs in their campaign. The VS Collective included actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, equality activist Amanda de Cadenet, body advocate Paloma Elsesser, mental wellness supporter Adut Akech, skier and youth and women's sports advocate Eileen Gu, and LGBTQ activist and model Valentina Sampaio.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas revealed to ET Online just how thrilled she was to be a face of the brand. "I can vividly remember the thrill at 16 opening a gift from Victoria’s Secret given to me by my aunt," the actress admitted. "A new era always brings a sense of freedom, and the opportunity to play a part in shaping the evolution and future success of a heritage brand like Victoria’s Secret is so exciting to me. As we work together to chart the path forward in a new and impactful way. I’m not only looking forward to developing future collections that are inclusive of all people, but I am most excited for new customers and for those who have always been a customer of Victoria’s Secret to feel represented and like they belong."
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