Whichever model respected his ambitions for his future in the field of modeling, he aimed to become one day "Angel" of Victoria's Secret. Getting into the "paradise" of the most famous lingerie brand was not an easy task, at least until a few years ago. And crossing the catwalk as a "angel" of Victoria's Secret seemed like a crazy dream for young models.
But the wise people say that what shines is not gold. And certainly - as it turned out later - in the House this was not all… angelic. On the contrary, this "paradise" had its dark side and the like recently denounced former "little angels", it was for them something like hell!
Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta and Iskra Lawrence are some of the 100 models who united against Victoria's Secret, complaining in an open letter to the House for inappropriate behavior towards models and employees. "Disposal of bodies, obscene remarks, penalties for non-payment of advances, unauthorized use of models' photographs and pressure for nude photography, free of charge for the personal collections of photographers," are some of the allegations.
The bags of Aeolus opened, to reach at the historic sale of the famous lingerie chain L Brands Inc. As announced, 55% of the company, including the brands Pink and Victoria's Secret Beauty, was sold to Sycamore Partners, for $ 525 million. The "angels", therefore, changed house, hoping this time to find their true "paradise".
As for the 82-year-old Les Wexner who was at the helm of L Brands for 50 years and his name was mixed with that of Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors and committed suicide in his cell, will step down as CEO, but will remain honorary chairman. And Victoria Secret will try, like any other Phoenix, to be reborn from its ashes and to restore its name, which has been receiving one blow after another lately. Hoping to return to the glorious and bright days of the past.
The unorthodox way the idea was born
Back in 1977, American businessman Roy Raymond found himself in a department store to buy underwear for his wife. Only shopping turned out to be an uncomfortable experience for him. And somehow he thought that there should be a place where men can feel comfortable when buying underwear for their partners. A lingerie store that would appeal to men.
Roy Raymond immediately began to give flesh and blood to his idea, and wanting to create a mystery combined with luxury, he chose to name the newly formed company Victoria's Secret. "Victoria's" is the Victorian era that gave the necessary note of luxury and "Secret" is the secret that created a mystery.
Within a few years, the newly formed lingerie company had grown into a giant with millions of dollars in profits. To understand the magnitude of the profitability and the huge success, in 1982 Victoria's Secret made $ 4 million in sales annually.
The underwear that the American women loved
Roy Raymond was a demonic businessman, keeping a close eye on the European market. At the time, the lingerie company "La Perla" was synonymous with femininity, elegance and luxury. And this is exactly the aesthetics and the European air that Raymond wanted to bring to the American market. With the difference that his own underwear would look just as luxurious and expensive, but would be more affordable.
And his vision succeeded. The 90's entered the company dynamically and brought with it promises of a bright future. At the beginning of the decade, Victoria's Secret became the largest retail company in the United States with 350 stores and $ 1 billion in sales.
In 1995, the annual lingerie fashion show was presented for the first time, which was to write history in the field of modeling in the following years. The idea came from Ed Razek, L Brands' head of marketing for many years. Razek and his team not only managed to consolidate the shows and turn them into shows that left an era, but they are also responsible for the emergence of famous models such as Giselle, Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum.
The birth of the "Angels"
In 1997 Victoria's Secret released the "Angels" lingerie line. The advertising campaign starred the top models of the time Karen Mulder, Daniela Pestova, Tyra Banks, Stephanie Seymour and Helena Christensen. Wearing the underwear of the series and the wings of Angels, they called on the people to buy in order to save the "little angels".
And so, the idea was born that the models that work with the brand are called "Little Angels". In fact, Razek hired the best photographers and commercial directors to undertake the promotion of the campaigns starring their sexy "Little Angels".
The catwalks of Victoria's Secret became more fancy and the shows were the subject of commentary and admiration, leaving an era. At the 2000 show, the Gisele Bτndchen crossed the catwalk wearing the most expensive bra ever designed, worth $ 15 million.
That same year, Sharen Jester Turney took over as the company's CEO and one of her first moves was to change the image they projected through the shows. Turney wanted to change the whole aesthetic, eliminating this style that referred to a "Playboy bunny" giving a more ogue Vogue air to the models that promoted the underwear.
In the 16 years he remained at the helm of the company, sales increased by 70% and annual profits reached $ 7,7 billion.
The beginning of the fall
In 2016, Les Wexner temporarily took her place and with "good morning" he showed his intentions. One of his first moves as a Ceo was to take clothes and swimwear off the list and focus exclusively on his underwear. In September of the same year, Jan Singer took over.
However, since 2015, the decline has started with sales falling. The competition is fierce and the once powerful Victoria's Secret could not cope with it. She was also accused of insisting on designing lingerie for shapely and lean bodies, ignoring the fattest women.
The once glamorous show began to wear out with the interest of the television audience waning. In 2018, a statement by Les Wexner that he would not put on plus size models, as well as transgender, because the shows are a "fantasy" created a series of reactions and negative comments. He apologized publicly, but it was too late. One week later, Jan Singer submitted her resignation in response to the above statement.
Efforts to recover
Her place was taken by John Mehas, who tried to save the situation. There were also strong reactions within the company, with shareholders calling on Les Wexner to improve the image and make Victoria Secret more open to the morals and values of the time.
The beginning was made by hiring two women in the male-dominated field of the company's advertising, and collaborating with the model Barbara Palvin, which has curves and not a "skeletal" body, as the new "Angel". The comments about the new "angel" were positive with people saying that they are finally working with a model who has a "normal" body.
Last August, for the first time, Victoria Secret decided to work with a transgender model, Valentina Sampaio from Brazil. However, criticism of sexism and an outdated spectacle was well held last November by the lingerie company canceled its annual show. "We are trying to see how we can promote the brand and communicate it in the best way to consumers," said L Brands chief financial officer Stuart Burgdoerfer.
To reach the sale of 55% a few days ago, which time will show if it will prove to be a savior as a solution for the company. And if he manages to bring back the glorious days of the past.