Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2019 has been cancelled, Shanina Shaik claims
Victoria’s Secret model Shanina Shaik has claimed that the lingerie brand’s annual fashion show will not be happening this year.
On Tuesday, the 28-year-old told Australia's Daily Telegraph that the 2019 fashion event has been cancelled, but that she believes the runway show will be back in the future.
“Unfortunately the Victoria’s Secret show won’t be happening this year,” she said. “It’s something that I’m not used to because every year around this time I’m training like an angel.
“But I’m sure in the future something will happen, which I’m pretty sure about. I’m sure they’re trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show because it’s the best show in the world.”
Shaik, who first appeared on the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2011, has walked in five shows for the lingerie company - including 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018.
The Independent has contacted Victoria’s Secret for comment.
News of the possible cancellation comes after it was reported in May that the show would no longer be broadcast on network television.
According to The New York Times, the decision to pull the controversial show, which has previously come under criticism for allegations of cultural appropriation, from television after nearly two decades was likely due to declining viewership.
The 2018 Victoria’s Secret fashion show only drew 3.3m viewers, down from 9.7m viewers in 2013.
At the time, Leslie Wexner, the chief executive of Victoria’s Secret parent company L Brands, said in a memo to employees that the company had been “taking a fresh look at every aspect of our business,” while noting that the brand “must evolve and change to grow”.
“With that in mind, we have decided to re-think the traditional Victoria’s Secret Fashion show,” he wrote. “Going forward we don’t believe network television is the right fit.”
Wexner also said that the company would be creating a “new kind of event” that would be available on different platforms in the future.
In November 2018, the lingerie company faced backlash after L Brands’ chief marketing officer Ed Razek made controversial comments regarding the lack of transgender models in the fashion show.
Speaking to Vogue, Razek said he doesn’t think transgender models should be part of the show because “the show is a fantasy”.
“It’s a 42-entertainment special. That’s what it is,” he said. “It is the only one of its kind in the world, and any other fashion brand in the world would take it in a minute, including the competitors that are carping at us. And they carp at us because we’re the leader.”
Razek’s comments lead to numerous calls to boycott the brand over its lack of inclusion.
Following the backlash, Razek issued a public apology, in which he acknowledged that his comments were “insensitive”.
“I apologise. To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We’ve had transgender models come to castings… and like many others, they didn’t make it… But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are.”
Shortly after Razek’s comments, Victoria’s Secret’s chief executive Jan Singer resigned.
