Background
A trillion-dollar company such as Victoria’s Secret is bound to have some branding preferences that have evidently brought them to where they have come today. So, what is it about them that’s different from the rest? Here, we’ll know Victoria’s Secret Dress Code.
The Victoria’s Secret establishment was founded in the year 1977 on the 12th of June, having their main merchandise running in California, United States. The focal point of their business centered on lingerie for women but with a catch – that men would feel comfortable buying these items for them.
The birth of Victoria’s secret
Co-founder Roy Raymond found himself in an uncomfortable position when he found himself buying underwear for his wife and could feel among others, that he didn’t belong in that section. The disapproving look he got from the saleswoman had been enough reason for him to get out of this section. At this point, we find the birth of Victoria’s Secret brand that vowed to make this experience non-existent to men in the near future and as is evident today. The store was brought to life with his wife Gaye Raymond.
As years went by, the vision behind Victoria’s secret, Roy Raymond found himself struggling with depression.
At a particular point in his life, he was at the state of no longer being able to cope and has since passed on – leaving his legacy through this iconic business venture that will surely impact many more people than is evident today.
Who is Victoria?
So, who is Victoria? Interestingly, the company has not only been inspired by this uncomfortable experience but has named their company after the Victorian era, manufacturing lingerie inspired by this particular age. So, the name Victoria has not so much been influenced by a person but by an era. The secret is more so associated with what’s underneath the clothing. With that being said, what type of dress code do they follow?
Dress code
Ever heard the phrase ‘you are what you wear? Well, Victoria’s Secret is the epitome of the latter and follows a strict dress code – most of the time, to maintain their professional image in their stores. This attire forms part of the black business casual category with an exception to different color t-shirts time and again. If this tickles your fancy, Victoria’s Secret might be one of your next ventures in the corporate world.
As Victoria’s Secret is known for its fancy lingerie line and now added clothing line, swimwear, activewear, as well as selected beauty products – we have a perception of what company standards are like and what standards their employees are expected to uphold.
Dressing diversely
Apart from their unique selling point, Victoria’s Secret has continued to improve their brand and has established a diversity in their brand by being inclusive for different individuals which include women with disabilities. This has by far gained them much-earned media and positive brand image and exposure for them as a company. Their change in representation stemmed from women who could not identify with the women they see wearing this lingerie and Victoria’s Secret has shown immense effort by including lingerie that is suitable for these women with disabilities. So there’s something for everyone whether you are big, small, tall, or in between – Victoria’s secret has got you.
Innovation
To date, the company has made significant changes to their brand which includes expanding their name to sportswear, perfume, and many more beauty products – Making roughly 4 million dollars annually through their entire catalog, across one thousand stores in North America. As the establishment took flight, the company started showcasing what they have to offer through a fashion show which first took place in the year 1990. The Victoria’s Secret show would then become one of the most anticipated events each year. The company has proven to be successful under the wing of Leslie Wexner since it has been sold to him in the year 1982. During this time, the company has flourished having 346 store retailers under its belt.
Regardless of the vision that started the company and the innovative way the founder has implemented to involve men in getting underwear or lingerie, the company has failed to keep up with the change as the years went by which has cost the company a lot of money and has in effect did not help the company in terms of continuity in the lingerie world as well as many other products that they have started adding to their catalog. This has added to their profits immensely.
Employees
Although employees have set rules to follow on dress code at the company, their uniform is not provided for them – which gives them a choice on what clothing to wear in terms of their all-black casual policy. However, pink girls have an exception to wear pink clothes every day with a downside – these clothing items need to be company merchandise to represent the company at its best.
In other instances, employees get selected discounts for a week during the holiday season, which makes for a good time to gather some items, not only for work but for other occasions outside of work. So, having to wear company merchandise does not come as an extreme expense.
Take away
Victoria’s Secret brand has made it with many branches all over and has proven that the challenges they faced were only a learning curve and that they have been able to shift with the times – even if it was a little late.
We have so far learned a lot about the history of the founder and his challenges, to the new owner’s challenges, to all of the downfalls and successes. The company has overall shown us etiquette, not only in terms of dress code but in terms of company evolution. Their dress code has become one of the many things that contributed to their trademark but also a way of finding innovative ways to identify with diversity. This is essentially the end goal.
