Though rarely uttered in the same sentence as legacy heritage brands such as Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein, a compelling case can certainly be made for Victoria’s Secret standing as one of America’s most prolific and recognizable fashion exports. Despite its foundational output consisting primarily of skimpy garments—bras, underwear, and other barely-there underpinnings—the multi-billion-dollar enterprise casts an outsize spell on consumers, deeply influencing both contemporary retail culture and the national sense of self. To put its commercial footprint into perspective, the company raked in a staggering $6.5 billion last year, marking a robust 5% increase year-over-year. Meanwhile, its tentpole marketing bonanza, the legendary Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, reliably attracts millions of viewers worldwide, pulling in an estimated 2.9 million pairs of eyeballs during its latest major broadcast iteration. While various rival luxury houses may boast about hosting the most exclusive, invite-only runway presentations for elite insiders, Victoria’s Secret can handily and uniquely boast about staging the biggest fashion show on earth.
Now, the iconic Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back once again, this time touching down on the sun-drenched West Coast for a high-octane spectacle. This year’s massive blowout takes place on the historic Sony lot in Los Angeles, transforming the famous studio grounds into a glittering runway wonderland. The production features a star-studded lineup of A-list supermodels—including industry heavyweights Gigi Hadid, Paloma Elsesser, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Ashley Graham, and Joan Smalls, among many others—who traipsed the length of the runway between high-energy live performances. The musical roster featured some of the most au courant pop and hip-hop stars of the moment, highlighting the brand’s enduring cultural and financial might. The entertainment lineup included powerhouse acts such as Tate McRae, KATSEYE, Megan Moroney, and Megan Thee Stallion. And, naturally, the evening featured the triumphant return of the brand’s much-ballyhooed Fantasy Bra, a breathtaking, curve-hugging piece of custom lingerie heavily loaded with dazzling diamonds, proudly revealed to the audience by a premier VIP model.
Behind this grand theatrical return is a deliberate, carefully calibrated creative strategy led by Adam Selman, who has held the titles of executive vice president and chief creative officer at Victoria’s Secret for around a year and a half. Under his creative purview, the brand has been tasked with executing a remarkably tricky dance: remaining resolutely sexy without crossing into prurient territory, staying playful without becoming cheesy, and projecting ultimate desirability without ever sounding condescending to its broad consumer base. Discussing the brand’s enduring cultural footprint, Selman reflects on the profound identity the company has carved out over decades of retail history. He notes that the enterprise has successfully aligned itself with the broader cultural imagination, serving as a mirror for modern desires while retaining its signature theatricality.
Reflecting on his own history with the company, Selman recalls growing up outside Waco, Texas, where his mother would instinctively avert his eyes from the windows of local Victoria’s Secret stores. Years later, he found himself tagging along with his female friends when they would make regular pilgrimages to visit one of its bustling mall outposts. Selman, whose illustrious professional background includes collaborating with influential costume designer Zaldy and working alongside megastar Rihanna on her groundbreaking lingerie line, Fenty, was appointed to his current executive role last year. Since stepping into the position, he has made it his mission to keep the pure joy of the brand front and center, all while intentionally maintaining a healthy, self-aware sense of humor about its storied history.
According to Selman, the brand possesses its own distinct kitschy past and an inherent sense of humor that has always operated with a wink and a nod—qualities that he genuinely loves and aims to honor in modern designs. It is no big secret that Victoria’s Secret has long been a deeply divisive cultural touchstone, viewed by some critics as a manifestation of outdated misogyny, while celebrated by others as harmless, old-fashioned fun. To bridge this gap, Selman has successfully introduced a layer of camp that imbues the brand’s traditional boudoir-romp ethos with a sophisticated, knowing wink. He emphasizes that his goal is never to reduce women to mere dolls or dress them up in restrictive costumes, but rather to strike a delicate balance between lighthearted entertainment and serious fashion design, always underpinned by the utmost respect for women.
In steering the brand forward, Selman firmly believes that evolution does not require abandoning the core identity that made the company a household name in the first place. He maintains that the enterprise does not have to sacrifice what it has historically stood for in order to evolve into a modern, inclusive version of itself. In his view, heritage and modern inclusivity can—and indeed must—coexist harmoniously to ensure the brand remains relevant to contemporary shoppers. Ahead of the grand Los Angeles runway event, photographers were granted exclusive access behind the scenes, capturing the intense hair, makeup, and styling preparations that go into executing one of the largest and most complex fashion productions in the world.
