victoria secret

Victoria's Secret is a retail marketer of women's clothing and beauty products, but is most recognizable as a marketer of lingerie. Victoria's Secret had sales of more than US$ 2.4 billion through their 900 retail stores in the United States in 2005.^[1] The company's name is a reference to Queen Victoria.

History

The company was founded in 1979 by Roy Raymond, an ambitious graduate of Stanford University. After struggling to find success working in a corporation, he decided to start his own company in San Francisco, California, USA. After borrowing about $80,000, he opened the very first Victoria's Secret store in southern outskirts of San Francisco. In its first year, the sales reached an impressive half million dollars, which enabled him to open four additional stores. In 1982, however, the company faced financial struggles, and he was forced to sell it to The Limited, Inc. in 1982. It is now owned by The Limited's successor company, Limited Brands. Since the takeover the company has been based in Columbus, Ohio, though it has at times sought to foster an image of being British. Raymond eventually committed suicide in 1993, jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.

All stores of Limited Brands are corporately owned. Victoria's Secret products are also available through the catalog business, Victoria's Secret Direct, with sales of approximately US$870 million. The company gained notoriety in the 1990s after it began to use supermodels in their advertising and fashion shows; prominent supermodels featured by Victoria's Secret include Alessandra Ambrosio, Tyra Banks, Ana Beatriz Barros, Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Laetitia Casta, Selita Ebanks, Isabeli Fontana, Izabel Goulart, Eva Herzigova, Bar Refaeli, Adriana Lima, Karolína Kurková, Petra Němcová, Frederique van der Wal, Heidi Klum, Daniela Pestova, Veronica Varekova, Lindsay Frimodt, Tricia Helfer, Marisa Miller and Fernanda Tavares. The "BOBs Secret Angels" are the models with contracts to Victoria's Secret. Many other models appear in the catalog that appear as part of campaigns.

Fashion show

The company made history in 1999 with the first televised appearance of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The web broadcast, one of the first mass market Internet programs, drew 1.5 million viewers, with many others unable to view the show. The fashion show was advertised on the Super Bowl. Annually, Victoria's Secret also stages a fashion show that is televised later in the year. The show is generally held in the New York Armory on Lexington Avenue, and attracts hundreds of celebrities and entertainers. In the past, most of the clothing exhibited was not available to the general public, but in 2005 the show was specifically redesigned to feature clothing available to the general public through the catalogue.

PINK Victoria's Secret

In July, 2004, company executives launched Pink (Victoria's Secret) , a lineup of loungewear, sleepwear, and intimate apparel geared towards college undergraduates. ^[2] Alessandra Ambrosio was named the line's spokesperson. Pink models tour the country at college campuses. The company markets to youth through MySpace, partnerships with MTV, and youth-oriented blogs. In 2006, Ashlee Simpson was named as the spokesmodel for Pink, making it the first time that a non-fashion model is a spokesperson of any VS brand. 1 PINK store has been opened in San Francisco, with 2 more planned for 2006.

Playboy's Search for The Real Girls of Victoria's Secret

In September, 2006, Playboy started its search for employees of Victoria's Secret to appear online in a pictorial for Playboy.com.

See also

• List of Victoria's Secret fashion models

References

External links

• Victoria's Secret Official Site
• Victoria's Secret Pink
• Victoria's Secret at Myspace
• Victoria's Secret: An overview and history
• An expanded history
• Playboy's search for The Real Girls of Victoria's Secret