There will be no winged angels taking flight down the Victoria’s Secret runway this year, as the parent company has canceled the brand’s annual fashion show.
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which has been held annually since 1995 and broadcast on network television since 2001, has fallen prey to changing times, parent company L Brands said in an earnings call, according to Fortune.
L Brands said it was part of an impetus to “evolve the messaging” of the company, in the wake of its lowest ratings ever last year, followed by months of speculation, Fortune said.
“We will be communicating to customers, but nothing similar in magnitude to the fashion show,” chief financial officer Stuart Burgdoerfer said, according to Fortune.
It’s part of a broader move to curb the more extravagant marketing methods, he said.
“As timing over the years shifted over the years in terms of the airing the fashion show, did we see specific material impact in terms of a short-term sales response to the airing of the fashion show?” Burgdoerfer said on the call. “As a general matter, the answer to that question is no.”
Meanwhile the show that helped propel the likes of Gigi Hadid, Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks to international stardom has sagged in ratings as the years wore on as stalwart viewers and even one performer blasted the show’s lack of inclusivity.
A good 12.4 million viewers tuned in for the 2001 show, but that number had dropped to just 3.5 million in 2018, according to E! News.
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