The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has been cancelled for 2019, model Shanina Shaik has revealed. The 28-year-old VS Angel, who has walked in the lingerie brand's 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018 shows, dropped the huge bombshell on Tuesday when she admitted that the famous catwalk show is going on hiatus. "Unfortunately the Victoria's Secret show won't be happening this year," the Australian model told The Daily Telegraph. "It's something 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."
Shanina dropped a huge bombshell!
The cancellation of the 2019 show may not come as a surprise to some. In May, it was reported by The New York Times that after 24 years on the air, the show would no longer be broadcast on network television due to declining viewership. Leslie Wexner, who is the chief executive of Victoria's Secret's parent company, L Brands, revealed that the lingerie giant was undergoing some changes.
"Fashion is a business of change. We must evolve and change to grow. With that in mind, we have decided to re-think the traditional Victoria's Secret Fashion Show," Leslie reportedly wrote. "Going forward we don't believe network television is the right fit. In 2019 and beyond, we're focusing on developing exciting and dynamic content and a new kind of event—delivered to our customers on platforms that she's glued to… and in ways that will push the boundaries of fashion in the global digital age."
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The news also comes after L Brands' chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, sparked controversy for his comments about transgender models in his Vogue November interview. Ed dismissed calls for plus-sized and "transsexual" models, telling the fashion bible at the time that the show is a "fantasy". He said: "It's like, why doesn't your show do this? Shouldn't you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don't think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That's what it is. It is the only one of its kind in the world."
HELLO! has contacted Victoria's Secret for comment.
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