Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. Victoria's Secret was started in San Francisco, California in 1977 by Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus Roy Raymond, who felt embarrassed trying to purchase lingerie for his wife in a public and awkward department store environment. He opened the first store at Stanford Shopping Center, and quickly followed it with a mail order catalog and 3 other stores. The stores were meant to create a comfortable environment for men, with wood-paneled walls, Victorian details and helpful sales staff. Instead of racks of bras and panties in every size, there were single styles, paired together and mounted on the wall in frames. Men could browse for styles and then sales staff would help estimate the appropriate size, pulling from inventory in the back. In 1982, after 5 years of operations, Roy Raymond sold the company to The Limited.

The Limited kept the personalized image of Victoria's Secret intact. Victoria's Secret was rapidly expanded into the U.S. malls throughout the 1980s. The company was able to vend a widened range of products such as shoes, evening wear, and perfumes among others with its mail catalog issued eight times annually.

By the early 1990s, Victoria's Secret had become the largest American lingerie retailer topping one billion dollars.

"Victoria's Secret Angels" are the brand's most visible models and spokeswomen. The VS Angels made their début in 1999 in the fourth annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Daniela Pestova, Laetitia Casta, Heidi Klum, and Tyra Banks are among the "Angels" from the original promotion. In May 2007, the Victoria's Secret Angels, which includes Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Selita Ebanks, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Izabel Goulart and Karolina Kurkova were chosen to be part of People Magazine's annual "100 Most Beautiful People in the World" issue. The 'Angels' are among the world's best-paid models.

Official site: www.victoriassecret.com