Since their first fashion show in 1995, Victoria’s Secret has attacked the market with a false image of ‘European luxury’ that tricked consumers into believing that the $12 million dollar annual runway shows it stages annually is the norm of the fashion industry… It is not. Described as “a combination of self-assured strutting of women and voyeuristic pleasures for men”, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show is nothing more than soft core porn but with better styling.
And now that their show is to take place in London for the first time, Victoria’s Secret has managed to creep into the pages of British Vogue. Featuring in the November issue, Angels Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel, and non-Angels Lais Ribeiro and Elsa Hosk swap their typical costume lingerie and pose topless in Dolce & Gabbana skirts in one shot before playing dress ups in more of this seasons most delicate couture from Chanel, Armani and Giambattista Valli.
But as a brand that has tricked people into thinking that it represents luxury, how is it being allowed to align itself to a Chanel gown when it doesn’t have any of the quality let alone craftsmanship of couture? When will we stop pretending Victoria’s Secret is fashion?
Actually, that’s not fully correct. VS wasn’t founded as a “European luxury” concept- it was founded in San Francisco by a Stanford grad, a guy named Roy Raymond, who noticed the lack of mid tier price point yet pretty lingerie. It used to be a decent quality product. The business model was originally primarily a catalog business with a couple Bay Area retail locations. But he sold the business at some point and it changed directions. About a year ago I remember reading some article about how VS was trying to return to it’s roots, but doesn’t look like that’s happened from what I’ve seen.
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I think you misunderstood. Yes, it was created in America as a place where men could buy lingerie ‘in a safe environment’ with the appeal of European luxury… But it doesn’t have the quality or craftsmanship of a luxury brand,.