Amidst Victoria’s Secret‘s many woes comes word that the brand’s annual fashion presentation has been cancelled. The news was revealed by frequent Angel Shanina Shaik, who told the Daily Telegraph, ” Unfortunately the Victoria’s Secret show won’t be happening this year. It’s something I’m not used to because every year around this time I’m training like an Angel.”
When asked why planning for the show was pulled, Shaik said, “They’re trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show.”
Staged annually for 24 consecutive years, the L-Brand-owned Victoria’s Secret hasn’t commented on Shaik’s claims. In May 2019, according to CNBC, the brand sent out an internal memo letting employees know the event would no longer be telecast on TV.
The brand caught major heat last year when L Brands chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, got defensive about casting choices in an interview with Vogue just prior to the November 2018 presentation. In the interview, the 70-year-old Razek dismissed questions about casting transgender and plus-size models as not fitting in with the fantasy the brand tries to evoke.
Leaving aside controversial casting decisions, Victoria’s Secret has additional issues related to loss of traffic at its mall-based stores, changing fashion trends and rising competition. Reflecting its struggles, the company announced in March 2019 plans to close 53 stores. this past March.
It’s not known if the show’s cancellation is limited to one year, but at the moment the company clearly has a long enough to-do list of items to fix that the presentation has been bumped of the list.
