Victoria’s Secret is Back on the Runway, Facing a New World
Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Is Back in New York City. What’s different, what’s the same and what does the relaunch say about lingerie and bodies on the runway in 2025?
Model Imaan Hammam walks the runway. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
VS is stepping back into the spotlight this year, reclaiming the New York stage. Once the crown jewel of lingerie, the show spent years under scrutiny for its narrow definition of beauty and its resistance to cultural change. Now it returns to a very different fashion landscape, where diversity is expected and the spectacle of a runway is measured against the values it represents. The question is whether the new version can reconcile its legacy with the demands of 2025.
Victoria’s Secret brought its angel wings back to New York in 2024, staging the first runway show since 2018 and signaling a reinvention of one of fashion’s most-watched spectacles. The show made history with an all-women music lineup; Tyla, Lisa, and Cher and the veteran Angels like Tyra Banks, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Gigi Hadid.
Tyla performs during the 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Now, confirmed to return in October 2025, the buzz is louder than ever. This time the question is whether the brand can sustain its reinvention in a world that demands diversity, authenticity, and a new vision of glamour. After years of absence and criticism, Victoria’s Secret is no longer simply reviving its past but attempting to prove it belongs in the future of fashion.
Early signs suggest a shift. The casting is broader, featuring models across a wider range of body types, backgrounds, and ages. The production team is speaking openly about championing creativity and self-expression over a singular “ideal” body. Backstage, designers are drawing from lingerie traditions but leaning into customization, personal style, and pieces that feel less like an angel costume and more like fashion you could actually wear.
The shift mirrors what brands like Savage X Fenty have been doing for years, proving that a lingerie runway can celebrate all bodies without losing impact. Rihanna’s shows have set the bar for diversity, featuring models of every size, gender identity, and ability, often alongside dancers, musicians, and performers. Similar moments have played out at Chromat, whose runways are unapologetically size-inclusive and LGBTQ+ affirming, and at Mugler, where gender fluidity and bold body expression are central to the spectacle. These examples have made it clear that the most powerful fantasy is one where everyone can see themselves.
Courtesy of Victoria’s Secret
In the broader context of fashion in 2025, the relaunch says a lot about where lingerie is heading. Underwear is no longer just an accessory to seduction or a hidden layer. It has become a category of self-expression, tied as much to comfort and personal empowerment as to allure. Body positivity has moved from a marketing phrase to an expectation. The new show hopefully acknowledges that confidence does not come from fitting a mold but from wearing something that reflects who you are.
It is also a reminder that the runway is still a powerful cultural mirror. The way VS’s lingerie is presented shapes the way people see their own bodies. The original Victoria’s Secret show once taught viewers that beauty was a narrow lane. The challenge in 2025 is to prove that beauty can be as varied, complex, and individual as the audience watching.
Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Vittoria Ceretti and Carla Bruni walk the runway. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
If this revival can balance spectacle with sincerity, taking cues from Fenty and others who have redefined the space, it might not just restore the brand’s relevance but also set a new standard for what a lingerie runway can mean in the years ahead.