scorecardVictoria's Secret is taking steps to shed its much-criticized image. Here are 4 things that the brand has changed this year.
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Victoria's Secret is taking steps to shed its much-criticized image. Here are 4 things that the brand has changed this year.

It hired a slightly curvier model

Victoria's Secret is taking steps to shed its much-criticized image. Here are 4 things that the brand has changed this year.

It announced it is rethinking its annual fashion show

It announced it is rethinking its annual fashion show

In May, in a leaked memo to employees, L Brands CEO Les Wexner said that Victoria's Secret was "re-thinking" its annual fashion show.

"Going forward we don't believe network television is the right fit. In 2019 and beyond, we're focusing on developing exciting and dynamic content and a new kind of event — delivered to our customers on platforms that she's glued to ... and in ways that will push the boundaries of fashion in the global digital age," he said.

Two months later, Victoria's Secret model Shanina Shaik, who has walked in several previous Victoria's Secret fashion shows, told The Daily Telegraph in Australia that the annual show is off.

Victoria's Secret did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment on its plans.

But according to Business of Fashion, as of July no models had been booked, something that would have typically happened by this point.

It reportedly hired its first transgender model

It reportedly hired its first transgender model

Victoria's Secret hired its first openly transgender model, 22-year-old Valentina Sampaio, earlier this month, signaling that the brand is listening to some of its most critical customers.

Victoria's Secret has not yet commented on the news, but it was confirmed in an email sent by Sampaio's agent, Erio Zanon, to The New York Times.

Sampaio announced the news on Instagram, sharing a photograph of herself and tagging the Victoria's Secret Pink brand and using the hashtags "campaign," "vspink," and "diversity."

Read more: Victoria's Secret has reportedly hired its first openly transgender model. Here's everything we know about her.

L Brands' longtime marketing chief and the creative director of the annual fashion show steps down

L Brands

Perhaps most strikingly of all, L Brands' longtime chief marketing officer Ed Razek announced he would be resigning this month after two decades at the company.

Razek was responsible for organizing Victoria's Secret's annual fashion show since 1995 and became chief marketing officer of L Brands in the late 1990s. Aside from Wexner, he was the longest-standing employee at the company.

And in recent interviews with Business Insider, former employees said Razek was Wexner's closest confidant, with full control over the creative vision of the brand.

These former employees said that the duo had an "unshakable" view of how the company's image should be projected and were extremely resistant to change. Former employees added that ultimately Razek's and Wexner's attitude could be responsible for the brand's current sales slump.

With Razek out of the company, investors are likely wondering whether we might see a new dawn for Victoria's Secret.

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