15 Things You Didn’t Know About Victoria’s Secret
Victoria’s Secret surely is a household name. Victoria’s Secret is not only the largest American retailer of lingerie but also the most famous one. The name makes you think of the famous fashion show, the beautiful models, the glamorous clothes and the big names in the music industry. However, there are some things you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret, its Angels, records and controversies.
Fashion lovers from all over the world watch the amazing show each year from almost 200 countries. A-listers attend the event every year and enjoy the scenic design, the lavish lingerie and the amazing musical performances.
Keep reading to find out more about its Angels, fashion shows and records!
Here is our list about 15 things you probably didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret!
1.Victoria’s Secret was founded to make men feel comfortable with buying lingerie
We will start our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret with a fact that will help you understand why this lingerie giant was created.
Victoria’s Secret was founded by Roy Raymond in San Francisco, California, on June 12, 1977. Eight years before its founding, Raymond was embarrassed when he was trying to purchase lingerie for his wife.
He recalled that he was “faced with racks of terry-cloth robes and ugly floral-print nylon nightgowns, and I always had the feeling the department store saleswomen thought I was an unwelcome intruder.”
2. Kendall vs. Rihanna
Rihanna was supposed to perform at the 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. However, she cancelled to finish working on her album. It was speculated that RiRi wanted out because her friend, the British beauty Jourdan Dunn was replaced by Kendall Jenner. Dunn tweeted a message in which she slammed the lingerie giant, fueling the rumors.
If this is true, it would not be the first time our girl RiRi and Kendall clashed. In 2013, before attending RiRi’s concert in LA, Kendall tweeted that she would be “very upset” if Rihanna did not perform a specific song. In response, Riri took to her Instagram to say “well don’t come” Ooops!
3. Who’s Victoria?
This is one of the things you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret (probably). Most women wonder why the founder chose this name and the story is quite interesting.
Roy Raymond chose the name Victoria to evoke the elegance and respectability of the Victorian era, with its silk drapery. The Secret is about what’s underneath the clothes.
4. The fashion show costs a fortune
On average, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show costs about $12,000,000. However, that’s not a problem since the company is worth somewhere around $7.2 billion.
5. The famous Fantasy Bra costs about as much as the show
Prior to each Fashion Show, Victoria’s Secret contracts a renowned jewelry designer to craft the bra to be used as a focal point for promoting the fashion show and as a centerpiece within it. One angel is chosen to wear the bra.
The $15 million price tag for the 2000 bra worn by Gisele Bündchen earned its place in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive piece of lingerie ever created.
6. Adriana Lima is the longest serving Angel
She’s an Angel since 2000. The Brazilian beauty has walked on 15 runways so far. I guess she just doesn’t age! Lucky girl!
However, a video has surfaced on the Internet in which you can see the model howling while making the symbol of the Turkish nationalist group, the Grey Wolves, who has carried numerous attacks, killing and hurting innocent people. They are behind of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II on the 13th of May 1981.
A spokesman for the model told The Telegraph that she had been told it was the name of a Turkish gym and that the model was disappointed that her her goodwill had been taken advantage of.
7. “The Perfect ‘Body’“
In 2014, Victoria’s Secret launched a campaign dedicated to their “Body” lingerie line.
However, things did not go according to the plan as they received major criticism: they were accused of body shaming and of setting unrealistic standards because most women don’t have the measurements of a top model. The advertisement featured 10 models wearing nothing but lingerie.
A petition against this advertisement has garnered more than 27,000 signatures. Finally, Victoria’s Secret changed the slogan to “A Body For Every Body”.
8. The Photoshop scandal
Who would not like to look like a Victoria’s Secret model? There is nothing wrong if you want to feel confident. However, the brand is under fire for promoting unrealistic body standards.
The brand launched an ad that was supposed to promote the “Cheeky” panty line but did not realize that the model was missing a butt cheek. As expected, the Internet exploded. Victoria’s Secret received major backlash and was accused of photoshopping and airbrushing their lingerie models.
9.Miranda Kerr’s “difficult reputation”
Miranda Kerr surely is one of the most beautiful models out there so everyone was in shock when she posted a picture of her, standing between fellow Victoria’s Secret models Alessandra Ambrosio and Doutzen Kroes that was clearly photoshopped.
Kerr photoshopped a picture from the 2012 show to make her waist look smaller. She later deleted the picture and replace it with the original one. The model apologized, saying that she “screen grabbed it off the internet” and had no idea it was photoshhoped.
However, in 2013 her contract with Victoria’s Secret was not renewed and rumor has it that it was because of her “difficult reputation” and because she was not a “big seller for Victoria’s Secret”.
10.The Hosiery lawsuit
There’s no doubt that sexy lingerie makes you feel more confident. Because of this, many women purchase hosiery from Victoria’s Secret. However, among the things you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret is the fact that they were sued for selling low-quality hosiery.
Zephyrs, a hosiery supplier sued Victoria’s Secret for $15 million and accused the brand of selling cheaper products to “unsuspecting customers” . Zephyrs filed a complaint in which in was stated that the lingerie giant uses images of its products on packaging and in-store product displays, while selling a cheaper version of the product inside.
11.There was no show in 2004
After Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, instead of the annual Fashion Show, the Angels did an Angels Across America Tour. They visited four major cities: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami and New York.
The 2004 Fashion Show was cancelled to avoid complaints regarding the broadcast. Some complaints even suggested that the show was pornographic. However, Victoria’s Secret insists that models are cast based on their appeal to women and not men.
12. Kanye West was supposed to perform in 2007
In 2007, Kanye West was supposed to perform at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. However, due to the death of his mother, Donda, his show was cancelled.
However, Kanye came back in 2011, when he sang Stronger. Before his performance he delivered a touching speech “In 2007 I was supposed to perform this song on this show, and I lost my superhero. Now she is my super angel.”
13. Stealing bras and panties
Among the things you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret is that the stores are a heaven for thieves. Apparently, a woman from Pennsylvania stole lingerie from floor displays nine times before finally being caught. She is reported to have stolen lingerie worth approximately $24,000. What a lingerie lover!
Also, two women who each grabbed a pile of merchandise and ran out of the store, attacked an employee who was following them with a tear gas compound. The Employees estimated nearly $9,000 of damages, including the pieces of clothing taken and the damage from the spray.
14.Heidi Kulm’s wings
In 2003, Heidi Klum wore a Fantasy Bra for the third time. The Fantasy Bra featured a 70-carat diamond centerpiece, the second largest diamond in the world. Klum also wore the largest wings in the history of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Her wings were 12 feet high!
15.3D printing?
We will end our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret with a fact regarding technology in fashion.
Lindsay Ellingson wore the first ever 3D-printed outfit during the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The Swarovski crystal-encrusted wings took five months to complete.
In 2012, fashion designer Asher Levine used 3-D printers to create multicolored glasses for his models.
Victoria’s Secret surely is the most important lingerie brand in the world, and its Angels have a lot to with it. At the end of the day, everyone should wear whatever makes them feel comfortable and more confident.
Ladies, how many of these facts about Victoria’s Secret you already knew? Share other facts with us in the comment section! Also, what are your thoughts on the controversies that hit the famous brand?
If all this talk about the brand got you thinking about buying something for yourself, you can shop the brand here!
We hope you enjoyed our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret! Make sure you click here to find out everything about the Fantasy Bras!
