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By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko
“My pieces are not really that fixated on lingerie, so I was a bit confused. But for this World Tour, they’re experimenting, and the core element in my work is experimentation. So I thought, okay, it would be an amazing idea to confront how they normally create, and how we can edit or modify or change that structure.”
-Bubu Ogisi to Vogue.
The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is returning but rather than picking a single location, they’ve chosen to do a world tour. 4 cities across 4 continents- Asia, South America, Europe and to the surprise of many, Africa. The 4 cities selected as Victoria’s Secret tour destinations are Lagos, London, Bogota and Tokyo. They have partnered with some notable individuals in each city, in different industries. From Lagos, Ashley Okoli, Bubu Ogisi, Korty EO, Eloghosa Osunde and WavyTheCreator were selected. To a foreigner, these names may be unrecognisable, but they are masters of their craft and Victoria’s Secret noticing and selecting them is bound to introduce them to a whole new audience. In essence, Victoria’s Secret is joining in to help put a spotlight on a continent that’s often overlooked.
Few years before the global lockdown, at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, the biggest fashion show was preparing to hit the screens. With celebrity guests, supermodels and musical guests such as Harry Styles, Leslie Odom Jr., and Jane Zhang in attendance, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show was on everyone’s lips. The annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show would be aired on the CBS network and millions of viewers anticipated tuning in to watch the lingerie fantasy show. Although the $2,000,000 priced Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra was meant to be the focus of the night, instead, a lot of questions were raised about the relevance of the show in today’s modern society.
The organisers paid little to no attention to the media and called the show a success because it had the views. In an ironic twist, the public took the side of the media. We simply didn’t need a lingerie “fantasy” event that only showcased one type of body with a 60% Caucasian lineup, the world is diverse and every woman deserves to feel sexy and represented. The public backlash did more damage to the brand than any trendwatcher could have predicted and in what felt like a foreshadowing moment, by 2018, the last Victoria’s Secret fashion show as we knew it was held. Worst of all, by 2019, the brand faced a personal lockdown due to poor sales and was forced to close roughly 53 stores, and by 2020, in the thick of the pandemic, 241 of its stores had been closed down. It signalled the true end of an era and upcoming competitor “Savage X Fenty” spearheaded by powerhouse popstar, Rihanna, was proving to be a formidable opponent. Savage X Fenty represented the dawn of modernity that everyone looked for, a lingerie brand for all races, sizes and genders.
However, that wasn’t the end of the line for Victoria’s Secret. Rather, it was the end of their archaic values and beauty standards.Victoria’s Secret saw an opportunity for a fresh start, a chance to rebuild and rebrand and they took it. They dismantled the foundation of the original Fashion Show and replaced the Angels with a VS Collective which brings more to the conversation than looks, as it uplifts and highlights women killing the game in various industries.
“We’ve evolved and we’ve moved on, but it’s not that we’re leaving anything behind. We’re touching both the storytelling, which is about our advocacy and celebrating female voices, but also that full-on, fashion entertainment [experience], because that is something that was quite iconic.”
-Raul Martinez, EVP, head creative director of Victoria’s Secret.
The collective focuses on the contribution of women to society as advocates, journalists, activists, athletes and entrepreneurs. It also represents modern-day women; immigrants, refugees, pregnant, plus size etc. It’s no surprise that they’ve found success with this new strategy. With a new team, the brand expanded its size and introduced nursing bras and mastectomy bras for breast cancer survivors, a neglected community in the underwear industry. They’ve had a few bumps along the way; for example, their campaign last year was met with social media criticism for not being sexy. The public made it clear that while they wanted a brand that prioritised women’s comfort, the sexiness that Victoria Secret is known for should not be eroded. So, VS heeded the advice and decided to take a step further by returning the fantasy angle to the brand. The fashion show is back and this time it will no longer cater primarily to caucasian women, but will reflect the stories and cultures of women across the globe. For their African destination, they’ve chosen Lagos and a few creatives in the city to show what the brand could mean to African women and how important it is to represent ourselves.
“I see the garments that I’ve created as protective armour to protect ourselves, protect our spirits, protect our beings. The idea of wearing something to protect oneself has always been the idea of clothing, clothing is a language of the body.”
-Bubu Ogisi.
Bubu Ogisi is the founder of the contemporary womenswear brand, “Iamsigo”. She uses fashion as a way to explore African femininity and cultural creativity. In an article with the New York Times, Ogisi talks about exploring African stories through Traditional Fabrics and details how she travels around Africa, resurrecting artisanal skills that have been in existence for years to explore sustainability and identity. Victoria’s Secret has selected her as one of the four designers to produce collections for the world tour. Ogisi told Vogue, “Everything is fixated on the idea of Yoruba and Edo mythology. Each person is going to be a divine being, a supreme higher entity, a … goddess.”
Described on her website as a 24-year-old Stylist, designer, creative director, and social media influencer with a knack for making bad bitches look even badder, Ashley Okoli is no newcomer in the African fashion scene. To say Ashley Okoli is one of the most recognizable faces from the African fashion industry would not be an exaggeration and even Vogue can attest to that.
Born as Eniola Olanrewaju, indie filmmaker, graphic designer and YouTuber popularly known as Korty EO is one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing YouTubers. With close to 250,000 subscribers, Korty has captured an audience with her confessional-like videos. She’s worked with a number of creatives and now she gets to add Victoria’s Secret to her belt.
Notable recording artist, photographer, fashion designer and filmmaker, Jennifer Ejoke, professionally known as Wavy the Creator will also be a part of the upcoming campaign. Wavy is one of the recognizable faces in the Nigerian Alté community. She is also the official photographer of Nigerian hip-hop artist Olamide. In 2022, she launched her fashion label, PIÈCE ET PATCH. The brand intertwines Afrofuturism and her African heritage; it also focuses on sustainability as the pieces are upcycled.
Finally, all-around creative; author, photographer, magician, painter, and artist, Eloghosa Osunde. She is also the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed urban fiction novel, Vagabonds. Eloghosa will also be a key part of the Victoria’s Secret world tour.
Victoria’s Secret choosing notable and successful people from the industry is bound to have a positive effect on the Nigerian fashion industry. It will cause the world to pay attention to our textiles, tradition, culture and most importantly, our people. The documentary is set to show behind-the-scenes of the production of the garments, which would give more exposure to the artisans. It is also a key event for the Nigerian media, photographers and set designers, as it gives them the opportunity to bring their A-game and creativity to partner with a brand whose shows are known for their larger-than-life setups and designs. Basically, the Victoria’s Secret runway is sure to boost everyone’s CV. So we can only wait in anticipation for one of the biggest fashion shows ever to make its televised comeback.
