Victoria's Secret takes aim at Nike as it unveils dedicated sports division
Lingerie giant Victoria's Secret is muscling in on the athleisure trend, unveiling a dedicated sports division dubbed Victoria’s Sport.
The brand appears to have rebranded its former Victoria’s Secret Sport offering, streamlining what it now offers online into three different departments: Victoria’s Secret, Pink, and Victoria Sport.
It’s no secret the company has been cost-cutting since the start of 2016, confirming in April that it was to cut 200 jobs and eliminate “certain merchandise categories,” including its swimsuit business, to focus on “core” products.
Launching with a model-filled ad (above) starring the company’s ‘Angels’ Adriana Lima, Elsa Hosk, Romee Strijd, Jasmine Tookes and Josephine Skriver, the marketing for Victoria’s Sport is so far centrered around the idea of ‘wellness’ and shows the grueling sports regime the ambassadors put themselves through to feel their best.
The brand looks to be revamping its image after being criticised in the past for running campaigns around ‘the perfect body’, and in more recent spots on Instagram has turned its attention towards celebrating the fact that its models are athletic and strong.
Victoria’s Sports is clearly looking to pose a challenge to Nike with the range, which offers up everything from sports bras to leggings. Model Tookes says on the website for the line: “When I tried these, I threw out all my Nike bras.”
Several big name brands have moved into the activewear category this year, with Beyoncé’s Ivy Park range for Topshop crashing the website when it launched back in April.