The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is getting a major revamp.
On Tuesday, the lingerie giant announced it is bringing back the famous runway event as a feature-length film, adding that the “reimagined show will be streamed internationally and culminate in a live fashion event this fall.”
“Victoria’s Secret World Tour” brings together 20 “innovative creatives from around the world” whose work showcases “the appreciation and beauty of womanhood,” according to an official description.
The project comes years after Victoria’s Secret last sent its team of genetically gifted “angels” down the catwalk in 2018 and canceled the original incarnation of the annual event.
Since then, the brand has struggled to square its image of near-unattainable sex appeal with a growing desire for diversity in the market, both in advertising and in product sizing.
The company has also faced competition from celebrity brands like Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty and Kim Kardashian’s Skims, which disrupted the intimate apparel sector with their inclusive marketing and straight-to-consumer approach.
At Victoria’s Secret, such shifts have rattled more than just the bottom line.
In 2020, billionaire Les Wexner said that he would step down as CEO of parent company L Brands amid declining sales and criticism for his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a complaint filed by shareholders the next year, Wexner was accused of fostering an “entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment.”
Though Victoria’s Secret has continued to fall short of earning expectations, it is still the queen of the North American intimates market, which was recently estimated to be worth nearly $12.6 billion.
With that in mind, Head Creative Director Raúl Martinez said that he’s hoping “Victoria’s Secret World Tour” can help usher in a new era.
“This film is the ultimate expression of the Victoria’s Secret brand transformation,” Martinez said in a press release. “It will be driven by fashion, glamour and entertainment with a nod to beloved iconography from the past but in a bold, redefined way.”