RECOMENDATIONS

The trend of diversity has effected the fashion industry in a massive way. With the rise of the 'Times Up' and the 'Me Too' movement that is taking place across Western popular culture it is clear to see that women are reclaiming their sexuality and how they are portrayed in the media. All this leads to a more liberal stance on models (especially underwear models), and steps away from traditional modelling of underwear that is quite often sexualised and done for the male gaze. After the PR disaster that occurred at the end of last year, and with the appointing of a new CEO in the new year; 2019 marks the perfect time for a rebranding. If you were to apply the practice of scenario planning to the brand Victoria's Secret, you could safely predict that societies attitudes towards models and representation is changing and the use of only one body type in marketing campaigns does not align with what is deemed acceptable by society, and what is wanted by the average consumer. The fashion industry is slowly but surely embracing plus-size and curvier women and Victoria's Secret cannot continue to remain ignorant to this movement. Tadashi Yami is Japan's richest man, making his fortune in the fashion marketing industry after inheriting his father's high street clothing store. In an interview with Business of Fashion, he stated that one of the key ways to grow a business is to 'contribute to society', meaning that brands must be involved in social trends and movements and benefit them in order for the movements to be successful. This advice can be applied to Victoria's Secret in that they could be massively influential if they were to represent plus-size people and create products geared to them. Another massive reason that Victoria's Secret should introduce a plus size range is that there is a gap in the market for it that could create huge profits for the Brand. Other Lingerie competitors like Savage x Fenty, and Aerie are already creating for the plus-size market, so Victoria's Secret need to act soon before its too late. Expanding their range so that it would be suitable for a plus-size audience would not only help public perception of Victoria's Secret, but also would show that the brand can move and adpat with current consumer trends.