Victoria’s Secret has been the go-to place for many women over the years for cute underwear, comfortable sleepwear, colorful workout clothes and heavenly perfumes. Currently, their sexy lingerie dominates the U.S. market by more than 60 percent. Although the company earned over $7.67 billion in 2015, the year before there was a 32 percent decrease in viewership for its annual televised fashion show. People weren’t tuning in to see Victoria’s Secret Angels rock the runway in barely anything.
But there’s an explanation to the slow decline of Victoria’s Secret popularity. According to the Wall Street Journal, their overly sexy bras are too blame for the company’s problems. Irony at its best, Victoria’s Secret shot to fame because of their bras.
Millennial women aren’t interested in excessive push-up and padding in their bras, and instead are opting for more natural looks and comfort. No one likes tight bras and underwire digging into their ribs.
The chief industry analyst at market research firm NPD Group, Marshal Cohen, told the Wall Street Journal, “Comfort is a dominant theme throughout the fashion world, and today’s bra consumer … is seeking both physical and personal comfort.”
Victoria’s Secret is aware of the problem they’re facing and has made changes to adapt to consumers. In April, a line of bralettes was launched followed by the announcement that the company would longer sell bikinis. Instead, the focus would be put on athletic wear.
But bikinis weren’t the only things to go. In May, the public was informed that there would no longer be clothes, shoes and accessories sold by the sexy company. The worst blow may have been the extinction of the mail-order catalog, which also had its own special on TV called Victoria Secret’s Swim Special.
It’s been only a few months since these changes were announced and it’ll be awhile to see if it helps the company’s decline. But Victoria’s Secret products aren’t the only thing causing consumers to turn away. The sexy image that is constantly portrayed isn’t accepted anymore. The common image being a Photoshopped model with large breasts and arched back, looking sultry into the camera.
Aerie, on the other hand, has taken a different approach. Aerie promoted bralettes from the beginning and gave buyers what they wanted, including the athleisure trend. The company’s overall image is the exact opposite of Victoria’s Secret — relatable models whose photos are not retouched in casual positions. Aerie has had great success with its products and image. It definitely seems V.S. has something to learn from them.
Victoria’s Secret is making the effort to appeal to more millennial women but it may not be enough to simply sell bralettes and call it a day. Their products and images are under construction and they should be careful not to come off as inauthentic or risk seeing the company decline further.
[H/T: Cosmopolitan]
