In the world of fashion, few events attract international interest quite like the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Now, London is set to cash in on a piece of the action as the US brand has announced that this year’s most glamorous lingerie show is to take place in London.
The event will be held in Earls Court in December and will be broadcast to 192 countries worldwide – many of which will be represented by the dozens of international supermodels taking to the catwalk.
It will also be a fitting end to Earls Court’s varied history in the entertainment and performing arts industries, as the theatre is due to be demolished next year, making the VS fashion show one of the last events to take place in the existing building.
This is certainly a lucrative opportunity for London to showcase its fashion credentials, as the show has only once before taken place outside America when it was hosted by the International Film Festival in Cannes, 2000.
It is believed that the reason for the show now coming to London is due to an upcoming expansion of the brand in the UK, with Victoria’s Secret president and chief marketing officer Ed Razek confirming a wish to open more stores in the UK in future.
Victoria’s Secret is yet to book the models who will be appearing on the catwalk but Mr Razek has confirmed that one of Britain’s top new models, Cara Delevigne, features on his “must have” list.
He said; “Cara was actually on the runway the last two years.
“I’ll let you in on a secret, I saw Cara two weeks ago and told her it was coming to London and told her to save the date, she was excited.”
Much like the American Football Super Bowl, the VS fashion show is known for being an all-round entertainment spectacle rather than a simple catwalk event, with musical performances, interviews and behind the scenes featurettes all commonly used to create a buzz.
This year’s event will be directed by British director Hamish Hamilton, who supervised the televising of the ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – something which will further add to Britain’s credentials as an excellent location for showcase events of this type.
Making the announcement at the brand’s European flagship store on New Bond Street, Mr Razek admitted that he is very excited about this year’s event as he has wanted to hold the show in London since 1998.
This enthusiasm was echoed by accompanying VS “angel” Adriana Lima, who expressed a wish for famous British faces such as Prince Harry and Sir Elton John to attend.
She continued; “We are very excited to be here today because we have this great announcement to make.
“The VS fashion show is the biggest fashion show in the world for sure and we are very proud to announce that we’re heading to London this year.”
