You’ve seen the neon signs. You’ve definitely smelled the "Love Spell" body mist wafting through a mall corridor at some point in your life. But if you're wondering when was Victoria’s Secret created, the answer isn't some high-fashion boardroom in Milan or a chic studio in Paris. It actually started because a guy felt awkward buying underwear for his wife.
Roy Raymond. That’s the name. In 1977, this Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus walked into a department store to get a gift for his wife, Gaye. He was met with fluorescent lights, ugly floral prints, and saleswomen who made him feel like a total creep just for being there. It was a terrible experience. He realized there was a massive gap in the market: a place where men felt comfortable shopping for lingerie and where the products actually looked, well, sexy.
So, with $80,000 in his pocket—half from a bank loan and half scraped together from family—Raymond opened the very first Victoria’s Secret at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California. The date was June 12, 1977.
The Victorian Era Inspiration (And Why the Name?)
A lot of people think "Victoria" was a real person. She wasn't. Raymond chose the name "Victoria" to evoke the respectability and elegance of the Victorian era. He wanted the brand to feel sophisticated, like a high-end British dressing room. The "Secret" part? That was what was hidden underneath the clothes.
The original stores looked nothing like the bright pink, modern shops we see today. They were wood-paneled. They had red velvet sofas. They looked like a Victorian gentleman’s study or a high-end boudoir. It was intimate. It was dark. It was designed specifically to make men feel like they were in a safe, upscale environment rather than a sterile department store aisle.
Business boomed early on. In its first year, the company grossed half a million dollars. Raymond quickly started a mail-order catalog, which became a cornerstone of the brand's identity. By 1982, there were five stores and a highly successful catalog, bringing in about $6 million annually. But there was a problem. A big one.
The Near-Collapse and the Les Wexner Pivot
While Roy Raymond was a visionary, he was focusing on the wrong customer. By catering almost exclusively to men buying gifts, he was missing out on the people who actually wore the clothes: women. Women found the Victorian-boudoir vibe a bit off-putting. It didn't feel like a place for them; it felt like a place for their husbands.
✨ Don't miss: One Yen to One US Dollar: Why This Exchange Rate Parity Is Basically Impossible
Enter Les Wexner.
Wexner, the founder of L Brands (then The Limited), saw Victoria’s Secret and realized Raymond had it backwards. In 1982, Wexner bought the company for a relatively small sum—about $1 million. It’s one of the most famous "what if" stories in business history. Raymond stayed on as president for a year but eventually moved on to other ventures, including a children’s retail store called My Child’s Destiny, which sadly went bankrupt.
Wexner’s strategy was simple but radical: Flip the target audience. He wanted Victoria's Secret to be a place where women felt empowered to shop for themselves. He ditched the dark wood for bright lights, classical music, and a "European" luxury feel that felt aspirational to the average American woman. He turned lingerie from a "special occasion" purchase into an everyday luxury.
When Was Victoria’s Secret Created into a Global Powerhouse?
The 1990s changed everything. If the 70s was the birth and the 80s was the pivot, the 90s was the explosion. In 1995, the company launched the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. It wasn't the televised spectacle it eventually became; it was a relatively small event at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
But by 1999, they were streaming the show online during the Super Bowl. It famously "broke the internet" before that was even a phrase. Millions of people tried to log on, crashing the servers. This era birthed the "Angels"—supermodels like Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, and Gisele Bündchen. They weren't just models; they were celebrities.
The brand became synonymous with a very specific, hyper-glamorous image. It was everywhere. You couldn't go to a mall in America without seeing those iconic pink striped bags. By 2006, Victoria's Secret was accounting for one-third of all intimate apparel purchases in the U.S.
Modern Struggles and the Rebrand
The world changed, but for a long time, Victoria's Secret didn't.
By the mid-2010s, the "Angel" aesthetic started to feel dated. Consumers were moving toward inclusivity, comfort, and body positivity—concepts that the brand's leadership, specifically Ed Razek, famously pushed back against in a 2018 interview with Vogue. The backlash was swift. Sales plummeted. The fashion show was canceled in 2019.
👉 See also: Minimum Wage in Texas Explained: Why It Hasn't Changed Since 2009
The company had to reckon with its history. It spun off from L Brands to become a standalone public company (VSCO) in 2021. They replaced the "Angels" with the "VS Collective," featuring activists and entrepreneurs like Megan Rapinoe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. They expanded size ranges. They started featuring diverse body types in their marketing.
It was a total cultural 180. Some fans missed the old glamour; others felt the change was way overdue. Honestly, it’s still a work in progress as the brand tries to find its footing in a market dominated by newcomers like Savage X Fenty and Aerie.
Timeline of Key Milestones
- 1977: Roy Raymond opens the first store in Palo Alto.
- 1982: Les Wexner buys the company for $1 million.
- 1995: The first Fashion Show debuts in NYC.
- 1997: The "Angels" are introduced via a commercial.
- 2002: PINK is launched, targeting a younger demographic.
- 2019: The Fashion Show is officially canceled amid declining ratings and controversy.
- 2021: The brand officially ditches the "Angels" for the VS Collective.
Why Roy Raymond’s Story Ended in Tragedy
It’s impossible to talk about the creation of Victoria's Secret without mentioning the tragic end of its founder. After selling the company to Wexner, Roy Raymond watched from the sidelines as the brand he started became a multi-billion dollar empire.
His subsequent business ventures didn't take off. He struggled with the "what could have been" factor. In 1993, at the age of 46, Raymond took his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a somber reminder that the glossy, high-fashion world of the brand began with a very human, very relatable struggle—and ended in a way no one could have predicted when those first wood-paneled doors opened in 1977.
Actionable Takeaways for History and Business Buffs
If you're looking at the history of Victoria's Secret to understand brand longevity or retail history, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Solve a personal friction point. Raymond started the brand because he was uncomfortable. If you find a process that sucks, there's probably a business idea in there.
- Know who is actually paying. Raymond thought his customer was the husband. Wexner knew the customer was the wife. Identifying the actual end-user vs. the buyer is critical for scaling.
- Adapt or die. The brand’s recent struggles prove that even a dominant market leader can fall if they lose touch with cultural shifts.
- Brand identity is more than a name. The shift from "Victorian gentleman's club" to "European runway" shows how visual identity can completely change a company's trajectory.
To truly understand the brand today, look back at the 1982 acquisition documents and the 1995 runway footage. You'll see a company that has constantly had to reinvent what "sexy" means to stay relevant in a changing world. It's a cycle of creation, peak dominance, and necessary evolution that continues today.