When Savage X Fenty, run by Rihanna, entered the women's underwear industry, she was seen as a competitor to Victoria's Secret, yet it was hardly expected that the company in question, or similar, would oust an empire. like Victoria's Secret. But the situation changed and Rihanna and other companies gained ground. Lots of ground.
Savage X Fenty brought one of the most impressive performances at New York Fashion Week, while Victoria's Secret said in May that the 2019 show would be canceled for the first time in more than 2 decades. The reasons were not made public, but known worldwide: visibility on the decline and criticism for lack of diversity.
We dwell on the latter: being different.
The iconic actress of "Orange is the New Black", Laverne Cox, was present at the Savage X Fenty show. Her arrival was greeted with applause. Such a detail contradicts Victoria's Secret philosophy of not accepting transgender models. The company's marketing manager, Ed Razek, told Vogue last year that he "didn't think transgender models should be in the spotlight." In May it was said that for the first time a transgender model, Valentina Sampaio, was accepted, but that does not detract the company from criticism for lack of diversity.
As we mentioned earlier, when Victoria's Secret was founded in 1977, it was considered a revolution. Its founder Roy Raymond opened the first store designed as a place where men could go shop for women?s underwear and feel comfortable. This strategy - that is, internal to women who were elected and served by men - worked well and had a high income in the first year.
The company was then sold to Les Wexner, CEO of L Brands, in 1982 for $ 1 million. Raymond certainly did not foresee that Victoria's Secret would become the largest women's underwear company, and notwithstanding success, 42 years later, the company would be embroiled in criticism. What is notable is the fact that VS has never been ?for women, by women? even though it has held the largest share in underwear sales for women.
It seems the company was taken by surprise and unprepared, losing many customers, which resulted in the closure of many stores around the world.
Unlike Victoria's Secret, Savage X Fenty and other companies, they don't say what's beautiful. People no longer need such examples. Today, in the age of awareness-raising initiatives for body image and beauty as a whole, Savage X Fenty tells people that "they are simply beautiful, in all dimensions."
