The OG Angel! Heidi Klum, who was a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1999 to 2010, is speaking out about the lingerie company’s rebrand, VS Collective.
The relaunch, which was announced in June, claims to usher in a “new era” for the brand. It features “an ever-growing group of accomplished women who share a common passion to drive positive change,” including actress Priyanka Chopra and soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
“About time, is all I can say. About time,” the 48-year-old model said to The Sunday Project on July 11. “As a model, you go there, you are happy to have a job. When you are not the company, you do what you are told. But finally, looking at this now, I’m like, about time.”
Victoria’s Secret, which will also be launching The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers to “fund innovative research projects aimed at progressing treatments and cures for women’s cancers,” previously canceled the official fashion show and the Angel title in 2019.
While Klum recognizes that the agency has been taking steps in the right direction, she also acknowledges that the speed at which they’re changing is on the slower side.
“Good. You know, because things do need to change. They have been changing. It’s been taking too long,” she said to the Australian outlet.
The star, who has passed her love for modeling onto daughter 17-year-old daughter Leni, also told Body + Soul that she’s “excited that they’re [Victoria’s Secret] understanding there are so many different people out there who want beautiful things to wear.”
She’s thrilled to see the change, but she admits that she “always loved the brand” during her run as an Angel.
“I had the best time of all. I felt like I was part of a family,” she told the outlet. “I was always with Tyra Banks, Gisele Bundchen, Alessandra Ambrósio, Adriana Lima — they’re still friends of mine, we travelled the world and did so many fun things together.”
Klum may have positive memories of her time at the lingerie brand, but former Angel Bridget Malcolm doesn’t share the same experience.
She took to TikTok earlier this month to explain that she find the VS Collective to be “too little too late” and that the company fostered unhealthy body standards.
“I found my bra from the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” she wrote in the video. “It’s a size 30A. I am now a size 34B, which is healthy for me.”
The model went on to explain that she was rejected from the 2017 fashion show after her bra size increased to a 30B. She was told by former marketing chief Ed Rezek that her body “did not look good enough.”
In response to the video, a Victoria’s Secret representative told Us Weekly, “There is a new leadership team at Victoria’s Secret who is fully committed to the continued transformation of the brand with a focus on creating an inclusive environment for our associates, customers and partners to celebrate, uplift and champion all women.”
