For over 20 years, supermodels wearing lingerie and angel wings walked the runway alongside big names in music, such as Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and Kanye West, in an annual fashion show broadcast on TV and watched by millions.
It has been five years since the show last took place, apparently due to a steep decline in viewership and a host of controversies – from a former executive’s prejudiced comments about trans models to growing criticism of the brand’s narrow view of fashion standards.
But this November – when the annual show used to happen – Victoria’s Secret will not go unnoticed. A brand documentary, titled “The Tour ‘23”, has just premiered on Prime Video.
What to expect from “The Tour”?
The film is not about a single show but highlights four collections from independent designers based in Lagos, Bogotá, London, and Tokyo. Each presentation takes place in a breezy village in Barcelona, where host Gigi Hadid guides viewers between segments. VS stars like Naomi Campbell and Adriana Lima walk alongside a diverse cast of models, including Adut Akech, Winnie Harlow, Quannah Chasinghorse, Paloma Elsesser, Hailey Bieber, and Lila Moss, to name a few.
Preceding the presentations are short films highlighting the 20 women – including designers and filmmakers – who make up “the VS20”.
“The Tour” aims to be “the ultimate expression of the transformation of the Victoria’s Secret brand,” according to a press release from the company’s creative director, Raúl Martinez. To this end, it offers a more expansive and global approach to femininity than the lingerie brand is known for. For example, designer Jen-Fang Shueh from the Tokyo brand Jenny Fax explores the bodily realities of women as they reach middle age.
The film clearly aims to reshape and reestablish VS’s identity. As the company retired its “Angels,” launched new ambassadors “VS Collective,” including Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Megan Rapinoe, and brought together famous faces like Campbell and Lima for eye-catching campaigns, the direction of its products has undoubtedly been a belated but important reflection.
The collections showcased in the documentary will not be sold by Victoria’s Secret, but some products inspired by “The Tour” are available online.
Source: CNN