#Cancelledt: Victoria’s Secret fashion show not pushing through this year

MANILA, Philippines  – The annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show is a no-go this year, as confirmed by the lingerie brand’s parent company L Brands on Friday, November 22 (Thursday, November 21 in the US).

“We think it’s important to evolve the marketing of Victoria’s Secret,” L Brands chief financial officer Stuart Burgdoerfer told analysts via phone call, according to a CNN report. 

“It was a very important part of the brand building of this business and was an important aspect of the brand and a remarkable marketing achievement,” Burgdoerfer added.

He said that in the meantime, “we’re figuring out how to advance the positioning of the brand.”

“We’ll be communicating to customers, but nothing that I would say is similar in magnitude to the fashion show. We’ll be communicating with customers through lots of vehicles including social media and various, more current platforms, if you will,” he said.

The move comes after the Victoria’s Secret fashion show fell to just over 3 million viewers in 2018, the show’s lowest ratings yet since its debut in 1995. The brand also announced on Wednesday that sales had suffered another quarter of decline.

In November 2018, former CEO Jan Singer announced his resignation amid “flagging sales” and “controversy around a lack of diversity.”

Aside from financial woes, the decision comes after the recent controversy surrounding the brand’s “sexist,” “anti-feminist,” non-inclusive representation of women. Former chief marketing officer Ed Razek said in a 2018 Vogue interview that Victoria’s Secret would not allow transgender or plus-sized models on the show because it is a “fantasy” and there was “no room” for them. Shortly after announcing his resignation, the brand hired its first transgender model.

In October 2019, Victoria’s Secret launched a campaign featuring a plus-size woman and a transwoman, in collaboration with UK brand Bluebella. – Rappler.com