The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has always been a major event with supermodels walking the runway in style as rock stars play on. But in recent years, it has been met with controversy - and in 2019, it might not be happening at all.
In 2018, the brand's chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, gave a controversial interview to Vogue, where he discussed trans models and the brand's seeming lack of inclusivity.
"Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is. It is the only one of its kind in the world, and any other fashion brand in the world would take it in a minute, including the competitors that are carping at us. And they carp at us because we’re the leader," Razek said.
After his interview, protestors gathered in their underwear outside a London Victoria's Secret store to advocate for body diversity.
Shanina Shaik, who has walked in the brand's annual shows since 2011, told Australia's The Daily Telegraph (via the Daily Mail) that Victoria's Secret has canceled the 2019 show, saying, "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. But I'm sure in the future something will happen, which I'm pretty sure about. I'm sure they're trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show because it's the best show in the world," she added.
In May, The New York Times reported that the show would not be broadcast on network television due to declining viewership for the first time since 1995 - even though 2018 had an all-star musical lineup, including Shawn Mendes, Halsey and Rita Ora, as well as runway appearances from the Hadid sisters and Kendall Jenner. Of course, Kris Jenner was in the audience to tell her daughter she was doing amazing (sweetie).
Evening Standard Insider has contacted Victoria's Secret for comment.
