Fashion psychology & diversity

Founded in 1977, Victoria’s Secret is a brand that has been metaphorically synonymous with the word “lingerie.” The company had been focusing its brand image on a narrow image of sexuality, representing “the perfect beauty” as illustrated by “The Perfect Body” campaign (2015). However, the company started to face a sharp decline shortly after that campaign as their target consumer boycotted their typical thin body ideal type of advertising. The frustration of consumers with “The Perfect Body” campaign illustrates the gap between consumer preference and Victoria’s Secret marketing communications. Within a week following the start of the campaign, 27,000 consumers signed an online petition asking the brand to apologize and change the campaign (Bahadur 2014). This lack of grasping consumers’ shift of preference has led to Victoria’s Secret’s fall and has opened a door for disrupters to enter the lingerie industry. The present case study will analyze how Victoria’s Secret was successful in capturing attention through its strong brand identity but how that fell out of favor due to the lack of engagement with changing consumer demands. This case study will highlight how that enabled a disrupter, namely, Savage X Fenty, to enter the market with a fresh aesthetic that appealed to consumers looking for more inclusive online brands in the lingerie segment.