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Yesterday (June 16), well-known lingerie and undergarments brand Victoria’s Secret announced the creation of two new partnerships — The VS Collective and The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers — both in the effort to “positively impact the lives of women.”
As per a press release the company shared, The VS Collective is said to be “an ever-growing group of accomplished women who share a common passion to drive positive change.” As Victoria’s Secret “partners,” the company hopes that the women “will influence and shape” the future of their brand through social, cultural, and business relationships, new associate programs, revolutionary product collections, creating inspiring content, and more.
Some of the high-profile women who are the first to be a part of The VS Collective include, Adut Akech, Paloma Elsesser, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
In her statement, Akech — who is a model — noted, “Being part of The VS Collective marks such a special moment and I feel blessed to be part of a group that celebrates and empowers individuality. Many may say that we ‘represent’ something, but I know I wouldn’t be here without the support of so many voices that deserve to be heard more than myself. This collective is not only ‘me’ or ‘us’ — but also includes people and communities that have helped all of us grow both within and outside our careers. This is a great opportunity for me to continue paying homage, and I will not take this platform for granted.”
Regarding The VS Global Fund for Women’s Cancers, the press release went on to highlight that it will be a groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with their longstanding partner Pelotonia — a company that raises money for cancer research. In short, the brand hopes to “fund innovative research projects aimed at progressing treatments and cures for women’s cancers and investing in the next generation of women scientists who represent the diverse population they serve.”
Victoria’s Secret will also be joining forces with designer and Breast Cancer Awareness champion Stella McCartney this upcoming October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Described as a “dramatic shift” for the company by its Chief Executive Officer Martin Waters, the higher-up went on to say that Victoria’s Secret is “on an incredible journey to become the world’s leading advocate for women,” and that the team is “energized and humbled” by the work ahead of them.
Over the last several years, Victoria’s Secret has experienced some public backlash due to problematic comments made by their CMO — and their inability to shift with the times as people lean towards more inclusive, transparent, and diverse branding. At one point, they even shut down a number of their locations. Back in 2019, we’d posted a story with suggestions on how the company could improve, read more about that here.
