Victoria’s Secret Fans Shocked by Brand Name’s True Origin After Sexy Runway Show Returns

The Victoria’s Secret show made a grand return to the runway on Wednesday, having ditched their ‘woke’ rebrand to take things back to their sexy roots.

But longtime fans of the lingerie retailer may be shocked to learn the unlikely origins behind its name, given it’s typically been known as a Stateside favourite.

For those who have questioned the identity of Victoria, and what her famous secret could be, they could be surprised to learn it actually stems from British royalty.

The brand is named after the British monarch Queen Victoria, as a nod to the secret nature of underwear during her 63-year reign.

Victoria’s Secret was set up by American businessman Roy Raymond and his wife, Gaye, in 1977 after he struggled to buy lingerie for her.

Raymond admitted he felt uncomfortable visiting underwear shops, due to both the frumpy range of products, and how female staff didn’t take him seriously.

Speaking to Newsweek at the time, he said: ‘When I tried to buy lingerie for my wife, I was faced with racks of terry-cloth robes and ugly floral-print nylon nightgowns.

‘And I always had the feeling the department store sales women thought I was an unwelcome intruder.’

Raymond then decided to open his own lingerie shop to challenge the experience, and named the brand after the iconic Queen to emulate Victorian-era boudoirs.

He admitted he wanted both the brand and stores to offer a sense of Victorian sophistication while being suggestive of women’s ‘secret’ underwear.

Fashionable Victorian women typically wore an array of different undergarments, from corsets and shoulder puffs to petticoats and knickerbockers, but these were kept hidden under their long dresses.

This then brought about the ‘secret’ that featured in the brand’s name, and it is said to be worth around £2 billion.

The runway show, which aired live on Amazon Prime Video, signaled a return to the classic ‘glitzy and sensual’ style of the show as it tries to ramp up sales, following a turn toward so-called ‘woke’ posturing.

For decades, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was one of the most coveted runway events in fashion.

It first kicked off in 1995 and immediately attracted immense buzz, with some of the biggest models on the globe walking in the fashion show.

By 2001 it was being broadcasted live on television, and each year, millions tuned in to watch the stunning models strut their stuff and the A-list performers dazzle on stage. 

But in 2019, after more than two decades of it reigning supreme, the annual show was canceled amidst immense criticism over the brand’s lack of diversity when it comes to body types before then-chief marketing officer Ed Razek’s eyebrow-raising comments about trans and plus-sized models.

Last year, the Angels returned to the catwalk after a six year hiatus with a more diverse roster including plus-size and transgender models.

The latest runway show comes weeks after Victoria’s Secret’s new CEO announced plans to return to its ‘unapologetically sexy’ branding as it moves away from its woke rebrand.

The lingerie company is embracing its bombshell roots after years of struggling sales and a tepid response to its diverse catwalk last year.

CEO Hillary Super, 53, who took on the role in September 2024, admitted her predecessors had allowed the brand to become ‘watered down’.

‘At the time I took over, Victoria’s Secret was regarded as inappropriate and off-color and we had to correct those mistakes,’ former CEO Martin Waters told the Wall Street Journal. 

The company toned down its provocative branding after a 2020 New York Times article reported that many employees and models faced a slew of misogyny and harassment.

At the time, the brand was under the leadership of Leslie Wexner and Ed Razek. 

Super, however, said many decisions were made ‘out of fear’ after the company moved away from their sexualized branding and more toward comfort following a wave of backlash. 

The brand’s seductive lingerie was replaced with products with more coverage and plain designs, as well as a heavier focus on athleisure wear and comfortable pajamas. 

The company’s move into a more diverse and inclusive brand came after Victoria’s Secret came under fire following accusations of the brand’s problematic environment.

A former public relations employee for the company, Casey Crowe Taylor, told WSJ: ‘What was most alarming to me, as someone who was always raised as an independent woman, was just how ingrained this behavior was.

‘This abuse was just laughed off and accepted as normal. It was almost like brainwashing. And anyone who tried to do anything about it wasn’t just ignored. They were punished,’ she added. 

Razek denied the allegations at the time and declared them ‘categorically untrue’ or ‘taken out of context’.

‘I’ve been fortunate to work with countless, world-class models and gifted professionals and take great pride in the mutual respect we have for each other,’ he added. 

A spokesperson for Wexner, who was reported to have close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, declined to provide comment to the outlet at the time. 

Epstein was said to have lied to many Victoria’s Secret models and aspiring models and claimed that he worked for the company.

Victoria’s Secret also faced a wave of backlash in 2019 over poor quality and a lack of diversity among its models.

That same year, the CFO of Victoria’s Secret’s parent company Stuart Burgdoerfer announced the annual VS Fashion Show would be canceled. 

The VS Fashion Show returned in 2024 with a new focus that included plus-sized models, such as Ashley Graham, as well as transgender models and different ethnicities. 

They hired Valentina Sampaio, their first transgender model, to star in their new VS Pink campaign after Razek left. 

However, the show was derided as lackluster and lacking the traditional glamor for which the brand was known.