Victoria's Secret's playbook for winning Gen-Z: nostalgia with a modern twist

Victoria's Secret is leaning hard into nostalgia and modernising the edges. The runway show is back. Sabrina Carpenter is in the chair. Bombshell, flavoured lip gloss and the whale-tail thong are doing numbers again.

Old-school glamour for a new generation. Gen Z is nostalgic for an era it didn't quite live through. Ballet flats and maxi skirts are back, led by Coach and Abercrombie. VS's revival sits inside that wider movement without losing its lush, provocative DNA.

Nostalgic products are converting. Piper Sandler's 2024 Gen Z survey ranked Victoria's Secret a top fragrance brand among teens. The lingerie line - vibrant, lacy, intentionally referential - is connecting with balletcore and coquette aesthetics. Morning Consult had VS at 20th fastest-growing brand among Gen Z by December 2023.

Digital and influence. TikTok-native visuals, meme-aware copy, and the runway show's return - all signal a digital strategy that's done its homework on where Gen Z actually spends time.

The honest part. Sales have wobbled. New CEO Hillary Super and the rejuvenated influencer programme are the bet. Bringing Joseph Altuzarra in to lead ready-to-wear hints at a luxury extension that could broaden the demographic without alienating the core. A board that's 89% women is the structural answer to the brand's old reputation problem.

The transformation isn't done. But the strategy - nostalgia, modernity, inclusion, transparency - is the right one.