Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2017 Could Be Staged in Shanghai Despite Negative Chinese Reviews on 2016 Event

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017 could be held far away from traditional locations, such as Paris and New York, after reports linking the annual fashion event to Chinese locations surfaced. The lingerie brand will reportedly stage the widely popular fashion show in Shanghai, China at the end of the year.

According to WWD, if the brand confirms such news, Shanghai will join the list of major cities used as locations for the previous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show events, such as London and Los Angeles. Several Angels, including Alessandra Ambrosio, Josephone Skriver, Ming Xi and Sui He, are currently on tour and have been promoting the latest Victoria’s Secret store openings in China. The models have also been leaving traces of their trip by sharing photos on social media.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, the new venue for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017 demonstrates the brand’s goal of reaching out towards Chinese consumers. Victoria’s Secret could also be planning to join the country’s “fast-growing market,” as pointed out by CNBC.

A Hong Kong flagship store is also expected to open later this year. As for mainland China, 26 Victoria’s Secret storefronts offering only beauty products and accessories have already been operational. The company’s first lingerie store only opened in February.

On the other hand, changing the venue for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017 could cause several problems. Following the 2016 event, Victoria’s Secret was accused of incorporating the Chinese culture into their show without permission. In particular, conservative critics highlighted how the lingerie in the famed event greatly differed from the traditional “reserved” Chinese clothing.

Although there was an increase in the number of Chinese models in last year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, there were only four out of the 54 models in the lineup, as pointed out by ELLE. If this year’s event is confirmed to be held in Shanghai, fans of the brand might expect more Chinese models in the lingerie listing.