Though rarely uttered in the same sentence as brands such as Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein, there’s a case to be made for Victoria’s Secret being one of America’s great fashion exports. Despite its skimpy output—bras, underwear, and other barely-there underpinnings—it casts an outsize spell on consumers, not to mention our national sense of self. To wit: Last year Victoria’s Secret raked in some $6.5 billion (up 5% year-over-year), and its tentpole marketing bonanza—the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show—attracted an estimated 2.9 million pairs of eyeballs. While some other brands may have bragging rights for hosting the most exclusive shows, Victoria’s Secret can handily boast about being the biggest.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back, yet again, this time with its “angels” touching down on the West Coast. This year’s blowout takes place on the Sony lot in Los Angeles, where a lineup of A-list models (Gigi Hadid, Paloma Elsesser, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Ashley Graham, Joan Smalls, and many more) traipsed the length of the runway between bookings from au courant pop stars that prove the brand’s cultural (and financial) might: Tate McCray, KATSEYE, Megan Moroney, and Megan Thee Stallion included. And, of course, the return of the brand’s much-ballyhooed Fantasy Bra, a curve-hugging piece of lingerie that is loaded up with diamonds and revealed on a VIP model.
“I think that we’re sort of this idea of the American dream, and certainly the American fantasy,” says Adam Selman, who’s held the titles of executive vice president and chief creative officer at Victoria’s Secret for around a year and a half. Under his purview, the brand has had to execute a tricky dance—to be sexy without being prurient, playful without being cheesy, desirable without being condescending. “I think that along the brand’s journey, it’s done an amazing job of capturing that cultural relevancy,” he continued. “And the show really did that. It cut through. It still does that today as being one of the biggest fashion shows in the world and something that millions and millions of people tune into.”
