Victoria’s Secret mulls return of new look show

Victoria's Secret is considering bringing back a "re-imagined" version of its runway show as the lingerie giant embarks on a "dramatic shift" for the brand.

The annual event was scrapped in 2019 amid a wider cultural move away from its hyper-sexualised imagery.

It comes as Victoria's Secret announced it had hired a line-up of new faces to promote the brand.

They include football star Megan Rapinoe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Ms Rapinoe and Ms Chopra Jonas, an actress and producer. 
will form part of "The VS Collective" a group of women who 
will work with the company on "collaborations, 
business partnerships and cause-related initiatives".
Victoria's Secret was long famous for its annual fashion show where statuesque, 
supermodel "Angels" would strut the catwalk in little more than lingerie, feathers and gems.

The company still generates billions of dollars in sales.

However, a cultural shift around the #metoo movement and body positivity saw rival companies such as Savage X Fenty - the underwear brand founded by singer and make-up mogul Rihanna - grow in popularity. More women were also choosing to buy comfortable, "althleisure" inspired underwear.

Victoria's Secret held its last show in 2018 before confirming its cancellation the following year as viewing figures fell to 3.3 million.

A spokesperson for Victoria's Secret said: "As an entertainment brand, with a huge cultural footprint we are reimagining what a fashion show could look like for us in the future."

The company announced The VS Collective - which it described as "a dramatic shift for our brand" - as it prepares to cut ties with its parent company L Brands in a spin-off later this year.

'Patriarchal, sexist'
Martin Waters, Victoria's Secret chief executive - the fourth appointed in five years - told The New York Times that "right now" he did not see the Angels as being "culturally relevant".

Ms Rapinoe, an LGBTQIA+ activist, was more blunt in her assessment of the company's past image, describing it as "patriarchal, sexist, viewing not just what it meant to be sexy but what the clothes were trying to accomplish through a male lens and through what men desired".

She added that it was "very much marketed toward younger women", a message which she said was "really harmful."The Victoria's Secret show was the brainchild of L Brands' former chief marketing officer Ed Razek who resigned from the firm in 2019. The previous year he had come under fire for making a transphobic remark. He also said audiences had no interest in seeing plus-size models.

Valentina Sampaio, an LGBTQIA+ activist who became Victoria's Secret's first openly transgender model two years ago just before Mr Razek resigned, has also joined the firm's "collective" alongside plus-sized model and "body advocate" Paloma Elsesser.

Victoria's Secret was bought by billionaire Les Wexner in 1982. Mr Wexner, the former chief executive of L Brands, recently announced that he would not stand for re-election as chairman emeritus.In 2019, Mr Wexner came under fire for his long friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He employed Mr Epstein to manage his finances but cut ties with him in 2007. Mr Wexner said he was "embarrassed" by his friendship with Mr Epstein.

Commenting on why Victoria's Secret was launching the new partnership now, Mr Waters told The New York Times: "I've known that we needed to change this brand for a long time, we just haven't had the control of the company to be able to do it."

Mr Waters joined L Brands in 2008, overseeing its international division, before taking over as Victoria's Secret's new boss in November last year.There are many places one might expect to be prevented from entering by security guards. In Pakistan, that place may well be a lingerie shop, where a combination of taboo and a lack of women at the top combine to ensure comfortable, well-fitting underwear remains the preserve of the rich.

Fifteen months ago, Mark Moore found himself blocked by two men at the entrance to a tinted-windowed store in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. What, they asked, did he think he was doing going inside a ladies undergarment shop?

They let him go when Mr Moore's friend lied that he was a diplomat buying underwear for his wife.

But in fact, the Leicester-born businessman was conducting research which he hoped would help him complete his mission - to bring high quality, affordable and comfortable underwear to the women of Pakistan.

The problem is, the security guards were just one of the obstacles in his way.

At a basic level, it comes down to the fact men and women have very different ideas when it comes to underwear. And when it comes to men, that generally tends to mean "sexy and appealing", explains Mr Moore.

"They talk and decide on laces and see-through fabric etc.. Whereas women want comfort and reliability of the product they use."

For the majority of the women in Pakistan - unable to afford the expensive imports - that comfort and reliability is something they can only dream of. Most of the affordable options are known to have clasps which rust and sharp underwires which worm their way out to poke the wearer's skin.

"In the past 10 years, I never found my size or the bra shape I wanted," Hira Inam, 27, told the BBC as she stood outside Anarkali market in Lahore. "The material is often not good. It constantly itches and in case of sweating I get a rash around the cup as the material is just not comfortable."

Her words are echoed by others in the market.

"I have spent a lot of money, time and energy on finding a bra that fits or that is comfortable against my skin," another woman says, refusing to give her name. "But I have failed so far. The wiring in the cup is the first thing to come out. And it can really damage the skin if one is not careful."