Photo: Canva
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, canceled in 2019 at the height of the #MeToo movement, is returning as a “reimagined show” that’s part documentary and part fashion show on Amazon Prime with a promise to “uplift and champion women — on a global scale.”
Renamed “The Victoria’s Secret World Tour,” the feature-length film starts streaming on September 26 and culminates in a live fashion event. The documentary takes viewers on a “journey through the behind-the-scenes craft and intimate stories” of the VS20, a group of designers, musicians, filmmakers, and painters hailing from Tokyo, Lagos, London, and Bogotá.
The creatives will conceive four fashion curations. The film includes performances by Grammy-winning rapper Doja Cat and features “top supermodels.” A tour-inspired collection will be sold on Amazon.
The former annual live event, known for its Swarovski crystal-covered angel wings and million-dollar fantasy bras, turned many models into household names since debuting in 1995. The last 2018 broadcast on ABC drew record-low viewership amid criticism for glorifying unrealistic body standards and demands for size and casting inclusivity.
Victoria's Secret has pivoted toward women’s empowerment and inclusivity, including employing more diverse models. Sales growth has sagged, however, in the face of newer competition from American Eagle’s Aerie, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty, and Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS.
Raúl Martinez, EVP and head creative director at Victoria's Secret, described the new film as “the ultimate expression of the Victoria's Secret brand transformation. It will be driven by fashion, glamour and entertainment with a nod to beloved iconography from the past but in a bold, redefined way.”
Victoria’s Secret on Wednesday hired several supermodels from the past show’s heyday, including Gisele Bündchen and Naomi Campbell, to front a new campaign. Critics will be judging whether the film’s use of models and overall messaging align with contemporary women’s sensibilities.
Fashion Institute of Technology professor Shawn Grain Carter told The Washington Post that while she believes the film offers an opportunity for Victoria's Secret to prove its dedication to its rebrand to help change its image, “they will know very quickly, because with social media it’s amplified right away.”