How the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Rebuilt Itself for 2026
The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was once a prime-time ritual: supermodels, wings, a diamond-encrusted Fantasy Bra and a pop performance. Then it disappeared. After the 2019 edition was canceled amid criticism that the brand was stuck in another era, a return looked doubtful, according to E! News. New leadership brought it back in 2024. Now the show is trying to prove the comeback is not a one-off.
A Los Angeles runway, and a new screen strategy
HOLA reports the 2026 show takes place Sunday, October 18, live from Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. It marks a change from New York, where the previous two post-revival shows were held. The runway begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The show will stream free through the brand’s official digital platforms and globally on YouTube, according to HOLA. For the first time, Victoria’s Secret is also bringing the event to select AMC movie theaters, with live screenings at 10 locations.
That theater push matters. It turns a fashion event into a communal viewing product, closer to a concert film or an awards show than a standard livestream.
Casting: familiar faces, wider brief
The show once sold a narrow ideal. E! News notes the 2024 revival mixed longtime Victoria’s Secret favorites—Gigi and Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Irina Shayk and Candice Swanepoel—with newcomers such as Ashley Graham, Kate Moss, Lila Moss and Carla Bruni. Heidi Klum, a regular from the earlier era, has supported the company’s changes toward more diverse and inclusive representation on the runway, according to E! News. HOLA reports that the 2026 lineup combines familiar supermodels with newer runway stars, reflecting an effort to feature a broader range of beauty and body types. Gigi Hadid has said, 'It’s not what people think. It’s not just about lingerie and looking hot.'
The Fantasy Bra returns — with a secret
One of the old show’s most recognizable props is back. Victoria’s Secret partnered with Jacob & Co. on a new Fantasy Bra for the 2026 runway, HOLA reports. The model who will wear it remains top secret, according to E! News. The reveal is built for live viewing, a reminder that the show still trades on suspense as much as merchandise.
A docuseries and the search for a new Angel
Another addition is Angels Among Us, a seven-episode YouTube docuseries following aspiring models competing to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel, HOLA reports. The winner is set to make her runway debut during the October 18 show. This extends the brand’s storytelling beyond a single night. It also creates a pipeline: viewers meet contenders on YouTube, then watch one cross the runway live. Four performers are confirmed, spanning pop, hip-hop, country and K-pop-inspired sounds, according to HOLA.
Why it matters
The show is no longer just a television special. It is a streaming event, a theater release, a talent competition and a jewelry reveal packaged as one. For Victoria’s Secret, the stakes are commercial and reputational: the brand must keep the nostalgia that made the show famous while answering the criticism that nearly ended it. The 2024 return proved an audience still exists. The 2026 edition will test whether the show can be a lasting annual franchise rather than a novelty comeback. Some details remain unconfirmed—most notably the Fantasy Bra wearer—but the strategy is clear. The runway is back. The question is whether the new version can stay.