‘Evolution’ of marketing strategy comes as audiences for the runway show have slumped

This article is more than 10 months old

This article is more than 10 months old

The annual Victoria’s Secret televised fashion show, known for its jewel-encrusted bras and supermodels sporting angel wings, will not be held this holiday season, according to an announcement by parent company L Brands Inc.

The official confirmation comes months after Shanina Shaik, an Australian model and Victoria’s Secret Angel, told the Daily Telegraph the show would not be going ahead.

In May, after years of declining viewership, L Brands chief executive Leslie Wexner announced the runway show would no longer air on US network television. At the time, Wexner said the company was evaluating its marketing strategy for the show.

The December 2018 show, aired on Walt Disney Co’s ABC network, was watched by 3.3 million Americans, compared with 12 million in 2001 when it was first broadcast.

When asked if the fashion show would be held this holiday season, chief financial officer Stuart Burgdoerfer said: “No, we’ll be communicating to customers, but nothing that I would say is similar in magnitude to the fashion show.”

“We think it’s important to evolve the marketing of Victoria’s Secret,” he said on the earnings call on Thursday.

The brand has been losing customers as more women shift to more contemporary underwear from companies such as American Eagle Outfitter’s Aerie and pop singer Rihanna’s lingerie line, Savage X Fenty. More than 53 Victoria’s Secret stores are set to close in the United States this year.

In addition to slumping sales and viewership, Victoria’s Secret has faced a string of controversies.

Leslie Wexner has come under scrutiny for his close ties to Jeffery Epstein.

In August, Victoria’s Secret’s chief marketing officer Ed Razek stepped down. In a much-criticised interview with Vogue in 2018, Razek said the brand would not cast transgender or plus-sized models “because the show is a fantasy”. At the same time his retirement was announced, Victoria’s Secret cast its first transgender model.

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Earlier this year, Karlie Kloss, super model and former Victoria’s Secret Angel, stated: “The reason I decided to stop working with Victoria’s Secret was I didn’t feel it was an image that was truly reflective of who I am and the kind of message I want to send to young women around the world about what it means to be beautiful.” She told British Vogue that leaving the brand was “a pivotal moment in me stepping into my power as a feminist”.

The cancellation of Victoria’s Secret’s runway show does not put an end to the blockbuster lingerie catwalk. At New York Fashion Week in September, Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show garnered great attention, and was later made available for streaming via Amazon Prime.