Victoria’s Secret continues to find itself at the centre of controversy. From a recent New York Times report which uncovered years of misogynist behaviour in the company, to its decision to cancel its once-popular televised runway show due to falling sales and transphobic comments made by its ex-chief officer, there is seemingly no end to the label's scandalous behaviour.
The latest offence comes from one of its stores in Colorado, where hundreds of its bras were found in a nearby bin.
Reported by the American news network 9News, the items were discovered by restaurant owner Melanie Gelinas. “These are all going to a landfill. They could be going to a homeless shelter or a battered women’s shelter,” Gelinas said. “I just felt like it was such a waste of money and, you know, wouldn’t a mom like to get a brand new bra from Victoria’s Secret who's living in a shelter?”
With a spokesperson from the brand confirming that the discarded underwear was in fact from a closing Victoria’s Secret store, they went on to apologise, explaining, “because this store was closing, we damaged out sample products including bras from our fitting rooms. All remaining inventory was reallocated to other stores.”
With the rest of the fashion industry making moved towards a more sustainable future, VS's latest offence feels particularly jarring. But then, what else have we come to expect from the once revered brand?