Marchioness of Bath named new face of Victoria’s Secret
Victoria’s Secret usually conjures images of lithe Amazonian supermodels decked out in sparkly lingerie and little else, sashaying around like cheerleaders. But the underwear company is on a mission to reinvent itself. The latest contribution to those efforts? Signing a British aristocrat as the face of its new perfume.
The Marchioness of Bath, Emma Thynn, appears in the new campaign for the fragrance Daring which was shot at her husband’s seat, Longleat in Wiltshire. In an ethereal video, she dons a pair of intricately crafted golden wings – like those famously worn by Victoria’s Secret’s “angels” – to flit down the house’s grand steps; poses beside a fountain in a fluffy pink coat; and descends an indoor staircase enveloped in a crimson silk robe. Notably, she doesn’t appear in any skimpy underwear.
A press release from the brand describes its new ambassador as: “A mother of two and a gifted baker and cook, Emma seamlessly balances her duties as chef, conversationalist, model, and caretaker for Longleat – her 128-room historical home and the enchanted location of our latest campaigns, Victoria’s Secret Dream and Daring.”
Emma is no traditional aristocrat. Born to a Nigerian father and an English mother, she married the then Viscount Weymouth, Ceawlin Thynn, in 2013 in a ceremony attended by 355 guests. Her parents-in-law were not, however, in attendance; the 7th Marquess, an eccentric artist famous for the “wifelets” (mistresses) he housed at Longleat, was locked in arguments with his son about family artworks, while the Marchioness had made racist comments about the union and was therefore banned.
In 2020, Thynn became the first black Marchioness in British history and has set about reimagining the role of a modern chatelaine, combining running Longleat with glamorous appearances at fashion shows, stints on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity MasterChef, and regularly gracing the pages of Hello! magazine. Peruse her Instagram feed and one minute you’re watching cute giraffe videos, the next you see the Marchioness donning jewels and a ballgown at a Chopard event.
“Victoria’s Secret appointing Emma, Marchioness of Bath, as its new face is a canny move for several reasons,” notes Sara McCorquodale, the founder of digital trends service Corq and author of the book Influence. “Globally, there is an enormous audience of people who are fascinated with the British Royal family and aristocracy. Presumably the brand will position her as being from this world in the hope that this allows them to reach the global millennial consumer who is influenced by the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex.”
Even so, the Marchioness’s appointment by Victoria’s Secret feels like a daring move for both parties. Thynn has carved out a career as an It woman ambassador for glamorous labels including Dolce & Gabbana, and is regularly seen at fashion shows for the likes of Burberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. By contrast, Victoria’s Secret is a label that has struggled to reform its reputation after it became embroiled in scandal at the time of the MeToo reckoning.
In early 2018, the then chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, attracted criticism for claiming that the public would have “no interest” in seeing plus-size models wearing the company’s creations. The Victoria’s Secret fashion show – which had become a global phenomenon – was cancelled after its 2018 edition attracted criticism and low ratings. Later, one of the company’s most famous and long-serving angels, Adriana Lima, declared that she would no longer take her clothes off “for an empty cause” and in 2020, more than 100 models spoke to The New York Times about the “culture of misogyny” Razek had allegedly bred at the firm.
The brand was hit with financial as well as reputational woes and sales have steadily dropped over the past five years, going from revenues of $7.5 billion (£6.2 billion) in 2020 to projected revenues of $6 billion (£4.5 billion) in 2024. Share prices have also slumped.
Appointing the Marchioness as its new face is just one prong of Victoria’s Secret’s comeback plan. It has begun to announce details of its first proper fashion show since 2018, releasing a video yesterday showing supermodels Gigi Hadid and Tyra Banks delivering invitations to the event, set to take place on October 15 in New York. It is set to be a return to the glitz that epitomised the spectacle in its heyday. “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is back and will reflect who we are today, plus everything you know and love – the glamour, runway, wings, musical entertainment and more. Stay tuned…it only gets more iconic from here,” read an Instagram post shared by the company in May 2023.
Whether the Marchioness will appear at the show remains to be seen. But McCorquodale assesses that appointing the 38-year-old socialite is all part of a wider move to target millennials who are invested in the nostalgia of Victoria’s Secret.
“The brand attempted to appeal to Gen Z through leading its marketing with inclusivity, but this was widely criticised and, realistically, that demographic is buying their lingerie from businesses like Fenty, Skims, Lounge, Fruity Booty and Boux Avenue,” she says. “Calvin Klein has had a resurgence [for younger audiences] too. Victoria’s Secret doesn’t have meaning to this demographic the way it does with millennials, who remember the cultural impact of the brand’s runway shows and the models who walked in them. Rekindling its relationship with millennials while giving the brand an updated spin will be more productive than trying to serve the current youth market.”
If the Marchioness is to appear in more Victoria’s Secret campaigns, the creative possibilities are endless. Might Longleat’s lions even co-star in the next iteration?
