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| Victoria's Secret Fashion Show | |
|---|---|
| Name | Victoria's Secret Fashion Show |
| Genre | Fashion show |
| Location | Various |
| First | 1995 |
| Last | 2018 |
| Organiser | L Brands |
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was an annual runway event produced by L Brands featuring lingerie, hosiery, and sleepwear from Victoria's Secret, staged with performances by pop musicians and attended by celebrities from film, television, and sports. Conceived during the 1990s expansion of Victoria's Secret, the show became a global media spectacle involving models, designers, advertisers, and broadcasters tied to the fashion, entertainment, and retail industries.
The runway presentation originated in 1995 as an intimate promotional event involving Ed Razek, Les Wexner, and executives of Limited Brands and built on precedents such as the New York Fashion Week presentations and runway spectacles by houses like Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Tom Ford. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s the show expanded under executives including Les Wexner and creative directors influenced by producers who had worked with CBS, NBC, and ABC telecasts, drawing talent from agencies such as IMG Models, Elite Model Management, and Ford Models. Major milestones included international editions filmed in cities like New York City, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Shanghai, and Miami Beach, and annual musical collaborations featuring artists linked to labels such as Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group.
The production combined elements of runway design, choreography, and broadcast television production, collaborating with set designers who had worked on shows for MTV, VH1, and HBO as well as lighting crews from touring productions with Madonna, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga. Executive producers coordinated with wardrobe departments tied to costume houses and jewelers such as Mikimoto, Swarovski, and bespoke milliners with ties to Maison Michel. Technical teams employed stagecraft contractors familiar with venues like T Mobile Arena, Olympia, and Pier 94 while broadcast partners including CBS, ABC, and international networks managed camera crews and post-production similar to large televised events like the Super Bowl halftime show and the Academy Awards.
Shows were organized into named segments that blended runway themes, musical performances, and costume concepts inspired by designers from houses like Gucci, Prada, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana and artistic directors with histories at institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Segment titles—ranging from fantasy-oriented motifs to regional tributes—drew on creative references associated with productions like Cirque du Soleil and stage musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera and Cats. Special features included showcase segments for collaborations with accessory designers and segments highlighting signature pieces like the ornate "Fantasy Bra" constructed by jewelers akin to Harry Winston and presentations that echoed costume extravaganzas seen at the Met Gala.
The runway showcased a roster of internationally recognized models signed to agencies such as IMG Models, Women Management, and Next Management, including figures who also worked with designers like Versace, Givenchy, and Valentino. The branded designation "Angel" applied to spokesmodels whose careers intersected with magazine covers such as Vogue (magazine), Elle (magazine), and Harper's Bazaar (magazine) and who had appeared in campaigns for houses including Calvin Klein, Chanel, and Dior. High-profile names associated with the show's rosters included supermodels who had walked for Helmut Lang, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent and who were represented in documentary and biographical works produced by companies similar to HBO and Netflix.
Televised broadcasts were handled by major networks and international distributors such as CBS, ABC, ITV, E!, and streaming platforms aligned with broadcasters like YouTube and later digital services run by Amazon (company) and Apple Inc.. Media coverage extended across outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Vogue (magazine), Wired (magazine), and entertainment trades such as Variety (magazine) and The Hollywood Reporter while advertisers and sponsors from corporations like Estée Lauder Companies, Procter & Gamble, and L'Oréal leveraged cross-promotional marketing during the broadcasts.
The event drew criticism from advocacy groups and commentators associated with organizations like Rihanna-linked campaigns and activists in networks similar to Time's Up and #MeToo for its portrayals of body image and workplace practices, and faced scrutiny from journalists at outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Atlantic (magazine). Corporate governance concerns involved executives from L Brands and public debates in forums including Congress of the United States hearings on workplace culture and shareholder meetings involving institutional investors like BlackRock and Vanguard Group. Critics compared its aesthetic and marketing strategies to historical debates around fashion spectacles dating to designers like John Galliano and events such as retrospectives at Palazzo Pitti.
The show's influence intersected with global fashion, celebrity culture, and retail marketing, affecting runway standards used by luxury houses like Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, and Alexander Wang and shaping pop-music tie-ins used by artists including Rihanna, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber. Its legacy is discussed in analyses by cultural institutions and media scholars associated with Columbia University, New York University, and London School of Economics who study celebrity branding, visual culture, and the retail transformation evidenced in the histories of Victoria's Secret and parent companies like L Brands. Debates about representation and commercial spectacle continue in exhibitions at museums such as The Museum at FIT, Victoria and Albert Museum, and university courses on fashion history.
Category:Fashion shows