Victoria's Secret angels and demons exposed on Hulu

From 14 July, Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons will be available on Hulu, a new three-part docu-series that will tell the story of the popular lingerie franchise from its beginnings as a small mail-order brand to its rise as a global giant, including its implosion amid allegations of harassment at the top of the company, workplace toxicity, sexism and financial problems. The project, which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, is helmed by Matt Tyrnauer, a journalist best known for directing Valentino: The Last Emperor about Valentino's life, and, as the logline reveals, promises to uncover even the most sordid details including the relationship between former CEO Les Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein:

"Investigated with journalistic rigor, Matt Tyrnauer directs this searing and provocative exposé of the Victoria’s Secret brand as well as their then CEO, the larger-than-life, enigmatic billionaire, Les Wexner. Truth is not what it seems; as the underworld of fashion, the billionaire class, and Jeffrey Epstein are revealed to all be inextricably intertwined with the fall of this legendary brand."

For almost 40 years Victoria's Secret dominated the underwear industry and storytelling, with its daring creations worn by models with perfect, statuesque, unattainable bodies. Its annual show was one of the most eagerly awaited events of the 2000s and for a model to become an angel like Gisele Bündchen, Heidi Klum or Tyra Banks represented a dream, the goal of an entire career. And it is precisely in the aesthetic characteristics of this genetically blessed group that one of the brand's main problems was hidden: the lack of inclusivity.

In 2018, this unbridgeable gap with the demands of a more woke and inclusive female target market and the consequent drop in sales led first to the cancellation of the iconic fashion show and then to the emergence of a series of toxic and misogynistic behaviors perpetrated by the VS management team, starting with Ed Razek, for years one of the main executives of L Brands, the lingerie brand's parent company, and Leslie Wexner. A New York Times investigation titled Angels In Hell: The Culture of Misogyny Inside Victoria’s Secret helped end Victoria's Secret's heyday, revealing Wexner's connection to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who managed the billionaire's fortune and recruited new models for the brand at its famous Florida mansion parties attended by the likes of Donald Trump and Prince Andrew. Since then VS has renewed its management team and is attempting a thorough rebranding focusing on inclusivity, body positivity. The basic strategy of this new VS is to tell and represent a type of femininity and empowerment that the brand had never embodied before, collaborating with a diverse cast of models and influencers in various fields such as Paloma Elsesser, Adut Akech, Megan Rapinoe or Priyanka Chopra Jonas.