Victorias Secret reintroduces Swimwear... Will this bring customers back?

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a blog post, but since school is almost, over I thought I would bring it back with a new post! This one is different than some of my other ones, it’s more of an informative about the new Victoria’s Secret swimwear. What better way to go into the summer with talking about Swimwear? Let’s dive in!

Victoria’s Secret, most known for their sexy lingerie and undergarments, also had a swimwear collection to complement the lifestyle looks of their customers. Two years ago, VS got rid fo their swimwear line, which left customers confused on completing this category of their wardrobe. VS closed swimwear because they had to trim down the amount of merchandise being sold in the store, at least that is according to industry reports. Since then Victoria’s Secret has further evolved their brand and assortments. Is this in a good way? Hm, I don’t know about that..

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Recently, with all the talk about women’s body image, the Victoria’s Secret reputation has declined. Victoria’s Secret refuses to change their brand image from the “size 0” or “size 2” body types seen in their runway show to larger body types. Because they aren’t adapting to this change, less and less people are buying from their store and watching their annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show. There were 5 million less viewers that watched the runway show this year than last year. Instead, their customers are shopping at places like Aerie, which has a more inviting message to all women body types.

***Side note, I was able to sit in on a Q and A with three Aerie models at Marist College, and the girls who were speaking said that they were not only advocating for women of plus size, but also girls and women who are disabled. One girl, who was in a wheel chair, said that she represents the “handicap” customer who feels that they are all alone with this disability. Aerie does an amazing job at giving plus size and disabled women a chance to feel confident and comfortable in their bodies.

Anyways, Victoria’s Secret finally noticed the decline in sales because of these factors. Instead of changing their brand message, making it more welcoming to plus sizes, they decided to bring back swimwear. Is this their attempt to bring get their customers back? Will customers like the new swimwear line? We will see in a few months!

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Personally, I am not impressed with their new swimwear collection because it is very basic and is overpriced for the styles and quality that they are providing. The price ranges from $30-$250 for their very vibrant print styled suits. I think I could find better suits at Target or Calzedonia. I think that VS didn’t much as much design aesthetic into this collection as previous collections because they were just worried about making a comeback. Not to bash VS completely, because I do buy most of my underwear and bras from there, but I don’t think see creating a swim collection solving the bigger issue of meeting the needs of plus sized women. They need to do more than just swim to get out the deep water now!