After several months of speculation, executives of L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, confirmed that there will be no Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show this year. This is because the company has been under a lot of fire amidst the controversy stating the lack of body diversity on their runway. This is in addition to the fact the CEO of L Brands said that network television wasn’t exactly the “right fit” for their annual fashion show.
Stuart B. Burgdoerfer, the company’s chief financial officer and executive vice president, confirmed the news during a conference call on Thursday, November 21.
He said that there will be more to come as the company advance. He added that they recognize and appreciate that Victoria’s Secret’s offerings and emotional content are very important.
According to him, the annual fashion show was a vital part of brand building and an important aspect of the brand itself. It is also considered a remarkable marketing achievement. Presently, they’re planning on how to advance the brand’s positioning and how to communicate best to their customers.
The famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was launched in 1995 with supermodels walking the runway in sexy lingerie and wings/ Supermodels like Miranda Kerr, Naomi Campbell, and Gisele Bundchen have been regulars in this annual event. ABC was the first to broadcast it on television in 2001 but CBS took over from 2002 to 2017 until last year when ABC did it again.
Meanwhile, Burgdoerfer said that Victoria’s Secret will still be communicating to its customers though not as similar to the fashion show but they do have marketing plans including social media and other platforms.
- Advertisement -In May, CNBC reported that there was a memo given to employees of Victoria’s Secret by the CEO of L Brands. Les Wexler, stating that the network television wasn’t the “right fit” anymore for the yearly fashion show. Further, the memo read that they have to evolve and change in order to grow that’s why they have to re-think the traditional way of organizing Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Moreover, Victoria’s Secret has been controversial for not being able to embrace models of all backgrounds and sizes on its runway.
