Is Victoria's Secret Fast Fashion? The Unethical Side to America's Most Popular Lingerie Brand

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Is Victoria’s Secret fast fashion?

Victoria's Secret is often criticized for its lack of diversity, outdated beauty standards, and marketing that objectified women for decades. However, the public backlash doesn’t stop there. When consumers began looking into the supply chain, reports revealed unsafe working environments, low wages for workers, and even allegations of child labor linked within their raw materials supply chain. As one of the largest producers of lingerie in the world, maintaining the ability to meet demand on a large scale with profits at the forefront means Victoria’s Secret is a top fast fashion company that continues to cut corners as much as possible.

What is Victoria's Secret?

Victoria's Secret is a popular fast fashion label that focuses on lingerie and loungewear and also offers accessories, beauty, and fragrances. Victoria’s Secret is headquartered in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and the brand’s products are manufactured across Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, and the United States. As the world’s largest lingerie chain, Victoria’s Secret has approximately 1,400 stores in nearly 70 countries. The company was known for promoting a specific unattainable bombshell angel model aesthetic, after consumer backlash, it has made some effort to promote more diversity and inclusion across the brand.

Why do we avoid Victoria’s Secret?

1. Lack of Transparency: Victoria's Secret lacks transparency and seemingly only makes changes and more ethical choices during a PR crisis and public backlash. Their website only shares minimal information about their supply chain practices, and it is not accessible from their main website or without specifically searching for it.

2. Unlivable Wages: Being the largest lingerie chain in the world and still not paying workers liveable wages is not a sustainable practice. In 2021, over 1,000 laid-off Thailand factory workers did not receive the promised and legally mandated severance payouts when their factory closed due to bankruptcy. Eventually, the workers received their money thanks to their union, protests, petitions, and continuing to make the issue public. In 2017, Victoria’s Secret agreed to pay $12 million to underpaid retail workers. In both factories and retail stores, valuing the people who make the business possible has not proven to be a priority for Victoria’s Secret.

3. Poor Working Conditions: Factory workers reported poor working conditions that allowed physical violence in the event of mistakes and not meeting hourly quotas. It is a noticeable pattern that the company chooses countries to base their manufacturing where there are few protections for garment workers. While there is not a report on every Victoria’s Secret factory contracted to work with the brand since there is very little information provided otherwise, it is hard to discern if many changes have been made.

4. Environmental Concerns: Victoria's Secret, like many fast fashion brands, is known to overproduce and then trash any products that do not sell. Instead of donating or producing less, they choose destruction to maintain an image that promotes exclusivity and, as a result, continues to make excess waste. Additionally, the materials used for their products are primarily synthetic, which contributes substantial microplastics to the environment using these materials. 

5. Chasing Trends: By releasing a new collection and products continuously, Victoria’s Secret subscribes to the fast fashion business model of chasing the latest trends with revolving inventory. This also promotes the idea that consumerism is the norm and caters to an endless sales cycle. To keep up with demand, Victoria’s Secret requires major mass production of its products, which results in ethical and sustainable practices being an afterthought.

WHAT IS FAST FASHION?

Fast fashion is a term used to describe the production of large quantities of clothing throughout the year, often characterized by rapid turnover of styles and designs. These brands have streamlined their manufacturing processes to produce clothes at significantly lower costs, making it possible for consumers to frequently update their wardrobes without breaking the bank.

The excessive consumption of low-quality, mass-produced clothing is contributing to a significant increase in textile waste, environmental pollution, and the depletion of natural resources. This has given rise to pressing social concerns, including human rights violations that cannot be overlooked.

As responsible consumers, it is imperative for us to reconsider our support for this industry. We should actively refrain from patronizing fast fashion brands and instead, shift our focus towards supporting sustainable clothing brands, embracing secondhand shopping, and cultivating a mindset of appreciating and making the most of what we already own.

Are you curious about the impact of Fast Fashion Brands and the reasons why it's important to avoid them? If so, CLICK HERE to delve deeper into this important topic

At the same time, we strongly encourage you to cherish and maintain the items you already own. However, if you are considering purchasing something new, we recommend exploring our list of approved brands here.

We want to acknowledge that our message is not directed at low-income shoppers who may find it challenging to afford sustainable clothing and are left with no other option but to purchase from fast fashion brands. However, it is important to recognize that the existence of these fast fashion brands is fueled by excessive consumerism. The issue lies in the quantity of clothing that we, as consumers, purchase. Many of us have more than we actually need.