Victoria's Secret 2023 Fashion Show: a Resurgence or a Departure? - Pooja Challi

Image Source: Sofia Malamute/Courtesy of Victoria's Secret

Victoria’s Secret fashion shows once dazzled millions worldwide, exhibiting gorgeous designs and models alike. Encrusted in diamonds, the models wore a set of wings on their backs, giving them the title “the Victoria’s Secret Angels.” Unsurprisingly, with each subsequent year, the show only became more successful, garnering 30-200 million viewers on youtube alone and over 3 million viewers on ABC news.

Yet, even with these impressive figures, recent numbers show that Victoria’s Secret has been on its downfall since the 2010s, losing a whopping 70% of their views in just 3 years alone. Recently, Victoria’s Secret even started to cancel shows, angering the public and threatening the company’s immense fame and reputation. 

Despite these issues in the past, Victoria’s Secret announced that they would finally host a show in 2023, provoking a surprise and anticipation from the public. On September 6, the show began and immediately received mixed responses from both in-person and online audiences. This reaction stemmed from some of the changes the company made to the show, combining the fashion show with a documentary about the preparation behind the scenes, exposing the audience to a lesser known side of the industry, and incorporating more diverse models, an aspect they had never included before. 

While these new changes were applauded by some of the public, others felt that Victoria’s Secret included more diverse models to simply bring the brand back into relevance, creating a facade of inclusivity to boost their own visibility. In a similar manner, many fashion critics acknowledged that the inclusivity was necessary, but was executed poorly. Many believed that this change meddled with the integrity of the show, inducing no sense of nostalgia nor paying homage to their trend-setting early 2000s shows. Their designs which once featured fancy gowns with bright reds and pinks were absent from the event, even lacking the lingerie feature of the show. With poor reviews skyrocketing, some went so far to claim that this show would actually harm the brand more than help its image, permanently labeling Victoria’s Secret  as irrelevant in modern day fashion and incapable of adopting the changes to modernize properly. 

Many also found that the show wasn't exactly a runway event, but more of a documentary instead: what should've been an hour-long showcase was condensed into a few minutes, while the majority of the time focused on the creators' work. The public felt that these individual shots of each filmmaker, designer, or model were meaningful, but, when looked at as a whole, seemed discordant and out of place. Many wished that Victoria’s Secret would have kept it simple by incorporating diversity and bringing back their iconic designs. 

  These reactions underscore the challenges Victoria’s Secret seems to be facing right now, balancing their tradition with innovation and modern alterations. Whether this comeback will mark a resurgence or further contribute to their decline remains undetermined, as the brand is experiencing problems similar to many other fashion companies to stay. As of right now, Victoria's Secret stands at a crossroads, tasked with not only redefining its reputation, but also reconnecting with an audience attached to its old image.

Works cited:

Colón, Ana. “What Does ’Victoria’s Secret: Tour ‘23’ Really Accomplish?” Fashionista, 26 Sept. 2023, https://fashionista.com/2023/09/victorias-secret-the-tour-2023-fashion-show-review.

Dominique, Nicole. “Gen Z Hated ‘Victoria’s Secret: The Tour '23.’” Evie Magazine, 27 Sept. 2023, https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/gen-z-hated-victorias-secret-the-tour-23.

Lease, Larry. “The Curious Case of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2023.” Medium, 25 Oct. 2023, https://medium.com/@larrylease/the-curious-case-of-the-victorias-secret-fashion-show-2023-2f6ab81d2388.

“Victoria’s Secret The Tour ’23 Is Here — but How Does It Stack Up Against the Original Fashion Show?” Peoplemag, https://people.com/how-does-victorias-secret-the-tour-23-compare-to-the-original-fashion-show-7974372. Accessed 3 Feb. 2024.