Today marks yet another major update about world-famous lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret. Ed Razek, chief marketing officer of its parent company, L Brands, has announced that he’s retiring at the end of the month after 36 years.
“With the exception of Les [Wexner], I’ve been with L Brands longer than anyone,” writes Razek in an internal email to the company on Monday, August 5. “I’ve loved every minute of it, and every one of you. I’ve appreciated your partnership, your energy, your teamwork, and your enthusiasm. You are, every one of you, a joy to work with, and a joy to be with. The best partners anyone could ever hope for. And I’ve loved coming to work here, every single day, for many, many years. But all good things must and do, inevitably, come to an end.”
Razek has been with L Brands since 1983 and was responsible for launching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1995 and choosing the women who were ultimately deemed Victoria’s Secret Angels like Tyra Banks, Gisele Bündchen and Heidi Klum. But one of his biggest implements was the brand’s hyper-sexualized identity, which has come to be what Victoria’s Secret stands for entirely — and thus, a major source of scrutiny in recent years.
This news comes at the same time that Victoria’s Secret just hired its first transgender model, Valentina Sampaio, to represent the lingerie brand in a campaign for VS Pink. Considering Razek made a statement to Vogue last year about how transgender models don’t fit the mold for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, his departure might be a catalyst for more big changes for the lingerie brand.
But this update aligns with the recent news that the Victoria’s Secret Show will not be taking place this year as the company works on rebranding. Perhaps the brand is ready to make some more changes.
