NovaQuant-Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to return for the first time since 2018: What to know

The NovaQuantVictoria's Secret Fashion Show is plotting a comeback.

The retailer announced Wednesday that its annual fashion show, which hasn't been held since 2018, will officially return later this year. "We've read the comments and heard you," the caption of an Instagram video said.

A Victoria's Secret spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement to USA TODAY, saying the 2024 fashion show "will deliver precisely what our customers have been asking for — the glamour, runway, fashion, fun, wings, entertainment — all through a powerful, modern lens reflecting who we are today."

L Brands, Victoria's Secret's parent company, canceled the fashion show in 2019, and it hasn't been held since then. At the time, the brand cited its effort to "evolve the marketing of Victoria's Secret," and the decision came amid declining ratings for the event.

"Fashion is a business of change," L Brands CEO Les Wexner said in a 2019 statement. "We must evolve and change to grow. With that in mind, we have decided to re-think the traditional Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Going forward we don't believe network television is the right fit."

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The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which began in 1995, over the years has featured notable performances from artists including Rihanna, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, and highlighted models like Heidi Klum and Kendall Jenner. The fashion show made a quasi-return last year with Victoria's Secret's "The Tour '23," a "reimagined" event that streamed on Prime Video.

Victoria's Secretto bring back 'new version' of fashion show: What we know

Victoria's Secret received backlash in 2018 after its chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, said the fashion show should not feature transgender models because "the show is a fantasy."

"If you're asking if we've considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have," Razek told Vogue. "We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes (in 2000). No one had any interest in it, still don't."

Razek subsequently apologized for the "insensitive" remarks. "To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show," he said. "We've had transgender models come to casting ... And like many others, they didn't make it ... But it was never about gender."

Kate Upton was also among those to slam the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for not being inclusive of women of all different body types.

"You know what, we're sick of seeing the same body type," the model said on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2019. "You have to be body inclusive now. Every woman needs to be represented. Otherwise it's a snoozefest."

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In an FAQ page shared on its website Wednesday, Victoria's Secret promised "updates to reflect our values and brand mission of today" and said that the new format of the fashion show will be inclusive.

"Victoria's Secret is focused on celebrating and supporting all women, and that won't change anytime soon," the page said. The FAQ also cited "massive" demand as the reason the show is returning with a "new and modern take reflective of who we are today."

No precise date for the 2024 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was announced, but Wednesday's teaser video said it will take place in the fall.

Contributing: Morgan Hines, Anika Reed and Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY