Victoria's Secret's CEO said the company was accused of 'scorching the earth' and 'spoiling' the brand after it ditched racy ads — but found the feedback was mostly from men

• Victoria's Secret CEO said that it was mostly men who complained when the company changed its branding.
• It has removed racy ads from stores, ditched its Angels, and canceled its runway show.

Victoria's Secret has substantially toned down its brand image.

The company removed photographs of scantily dressed models from the walls of its stores and canceled its annual fashion show where models called Angels walked the runway wearing only lingerie.

The company's new branding that focuses on comfort and inclusivity seems to be resonating with customers so far. After years of sliding sales, Victoria's Secret is again reporting growth and investors appear more confident about the brand's positioning.

But not everyone was pleased with the rebrand.

In a call with investors on Thursday, Victoria's Secret CEO Martin Waters addressed a question from an analyst who asked whether the changes had alienated any customers.

In response, Waters recalled a surge in mail from disapproving consumers.

"When we first announced our positioning, we got a significant amount of mail from people who said, 'This is terrible. You're scorching the earth. You're spoiling our brand. We love the way it was before, why are you changing it?'" Waters said, according to a transcript of the call.

On further analysis, however, the company found that most of this feedback wasn't coming from its most loyal customers or rewards club members, Waters said.

Instead, "it was principally from men," he said.

Waters said that female customers, by comparison, have so far responded well to the rebrand. He also said that the company hasn't entirely ditched sexy imagery and lingerie.

"We still sell provocative merchandise," he said, adding that the brand is "unashamedly sexy" with its Valentine's Day collection.

"For us, it is about balance," he said. "Rather than just being sexy ... it's about advocating for women in all aspects of their life."