Victoria's Secret Rethinks the Supermodel
September 10 2019 - 2:58PM
Dow Jones News
By Khadeeja Safdar
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Make room, Gigi Hadid. Victoria's Secret will
no longer rely on a small group of supermodels to promote its sexy
lingerie, as the chain shifts to more inclusive marketing to end a
prolonged sales slump.
Victoria's Secret's emphasis on supermodel "Angels" wearing
padded bras has alienated some women and invited criticism that the
brand is out of touch. Demand for its bras has cooled as customers
have turned to brands using unretouched images featuring women of
more shapes and sizes.
Last month, Edward Razek, the marketing chief behind the brand's
overtly sexual marketing, said he was resigning after more than 30
years at the chain. Earlier this year, the company said it would no
longer air its annual fashion show on network television.
At an investor meeting here Tuesday, executives showed new
videos for Victoria's Secret and its teen brand Pink featuring a
more diverse set of women than the company has used in the past,
including curvier models. Pink also recently hired a transgender
model. They are "real girls," said Pink Chief Executive Amy Hauk,
referring to the new videos and imagery. "I love the
diversity."
Victoria's Secret Lingerie CEO John Mehas, who joined recently
from Tory Burch, said he began changing the marketing just a few
weeks ago. He plans to accelerate the changes, including messaging
that responds to the #MeToo movement. One of the messages in the
new marketing is "by her, for her," he said. "There is a big belief
in the company that we need to evolve."
In a Vogue interview last year, Mr. Razek said he didn't think
the Victoria's Secret fashion show should include transgender
models because it is supposed to be "a fantasy," prompting backlash
from some consumers. Several former executives told The Wall Street
Journal that the 71-year-old executive's leadership was preventing
the company from evolving. L Brands declined to make Mr. Razek
available for comment when he left.
At the start of Tuesday's meeting, Leslie Wexner, longtime CEO
of the retailer's parent, L Brands Inc., addressed his relationship
with his former financial adviser, Jeffrey Epstein, seeking to
reassure investors that he isn't distracted. "The distraction of
that was something that happened a long time ago," he told
investors.
He said he feels enormous regret that Mr. Epstein took advantage
of so many young women and said his former adviser was living a
secret life. "We are all betrayed by friends," he said.
Mr. Epstein, who was in custody awaiting trial on federal
sex-trafficking charges, died last month by what the New York
medical examiner's office determined was a suicide. The board of L
Brands hired a law firm over the summer to investigate Mr.
Epstein's involvement in the company.
In August, Mr. Wexner, a billionaire, revealed in a letter to
his charity that Mr. Epstein had misappropriated some of his
wealth. The Wexners have been providing information to
investigators who are looking into the source of Mr. Epstein's
wealth, the Journal has reported.
Victoria's Secret has posted several quarters of sales declines.
The mall stalwart accounted for $7.4 billion of annual sales at L
Brands, which also owns the Bath & Body Works chain.
L Brands executives said the company's long-term goal --
consistent growth in sales and operating-income dollars in the
mid-to-high single-digit percent -- assumes performance at
Victoria's Secret will improve.
The company, which has closed about 10 to 30 Victoria's Secret
stores annually from 2015 to 2018, accelerated closures at the
brand to about 55 in fiscal 2019 and plans to close 40 to 60 in
2020. The company has more than 1,400 U.S. stores, including Bath
& Body Works locations.
Write to Khadeeja Safdar at khadeeja.safdar@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 10, 2019 14:43 ET (18:43 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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