The 2024 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was missing some familiar faces.
The event, which returns on Tuesday, October 15, saw some of the brand’s most famous angels command the catwalk, including Tyra Banks, Gigi Hadid and Adriana Lima, while others were conspicuously absent.
The runway show, first held in 1995, was canceled in 2019 after a backlash over the lack of diversity. In 2023, Barcelona, London, Tokyo, Lagos, Nigeria, Colombia and Bogotá.
Victoria’s Secret announced the return of its runway shows in May, promising greater inclusivity.
“I read the comments and heard your thoughts,” the Instagram caption read. “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is ✨ BACK ✨ reflecting who we are today plus everything you know and love: glamor, runway, wings, musical entertainment and more. Stay tuned… It gets even more symbolic from here.”
Gigi, 29, opened the show wearing a pink satin playsuit and matching angel wings, while Banks, 50, who last walked the show in 2005, wore sparkly black leggings. , finished the runway wearing a black and silver corset and a silver cape. The New York City event also featured performances by Cher, Tyra, BLACKPINK’s Lisa, and more.
Let’s take a look first at possible reasons why certain VS icons didn’t participate in the grand reunion.
heidi klum
Heidi Klum at the 2003 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Frank Micelotta/Getty
Klum began her career as a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 1999 and took a hiatus in 2010. The model had some memorable runway moments, including wearing the $11 million Very Sexy Fantasy Bra in 2003. In 2021, Klum revealed that she was four months pregnant with her first daughter Leni during the 2003 show.
After Victoria’s Secret announced its rebrand, Klum said in an interview on an Australian talk show that it was “about time” for big changes in the fashion industry. project.
“As a model, when you go there, you’re satisfied that you have a job…you just do what you’re told,” she said. “But when I look at this now, I think, ‘It’s about time. All right,’ because things need to change and it’s taking too long.”
Klum has been an ambassador for lingerie brand Intimissimi since 2022, perhaps at odds with her ability to work with competing brands such as Victoria’s Secret. On Tuesday, October 15th (the same day as the 2024 VS show), the 51-year-old debuted a new campaign with her daughter Leni.
Gisele Bundchen
Gisele Bundchen at the 2005 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Peter Kramer/Getty Images
Bundchen, 44, was a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1999 to 2006.
In a 2022 video for British Vogue’s “Life in Looks” series, the Brazilian model said that while she “always had fun” on the VS runway, she was “uncomfortable” with the revealing outfits. ” he said.
“I always made sure that my back was covered, because walking down the runway with your butt exposed is uncomfortable, both from below and from above,” she said. “I thought, ‘That’s not going to happen.’ But the show was always like a production, there was always someone singing, there was always something going on, and it was a fun experience.”
In 2023, Bündchen reunited with the brand for the Icon campaign, starring Naomi Campbell, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, Adriana Lima, and more.
However, the model announced her retirement from the runway in 2020 and has since said she has no plans to return.
In a 2022 interview with Elle Bündchen, she said she had “absolutely no desire” to walk the catwalk again. In fact, she said she prefers doing editorial shoots.
“For me, it’s very easy to go there and create a character and play that role that day,” she said. “It energizes me and makes me want to go and create more beauty in the world in different ways.”
miranda kerr
Miranda Kerr at the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Randy Brook/Wire Image
Kerr became the first Australian Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2007. In 2013, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kerr’s modeling contract was not renewed due to “difficulties.”
Ed Razek, former president and chief marketing officer of L Brands, dispelled the rumors in a statement shared with PEOPLE, calling Kerr “a consummate professional.”
Kerr is currently concentrating on her businesses, cosmetics brand Kora Organics and furniture line One Kings Lane. She is also the mother of four children. She has one son with ex-Orlando Bloom and three sons with husband Evan Spiegel.
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner attended the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Jenner, now 28, made her Victoria’s Secret runway debut in 2015. In 2016, she appeared again at the Paris show, wearing the show’s coveted wings for the first time.
The supermodel missed the 2017 show in Shanghai due to her contract with La Perla lingerie. The contract ended in 2018, so Jenner returned to the VS runway alongside Gigi and Bella Hadid.
Jenner has also worked with Calvin Klein since 2013, posing in several of the brand’s underwear campaigns.
karlie kloss
Karlie Kloss at the 2011 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Randy Brook/Wire Image
Kloss was introduced as a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2013 and parted ways with the brand in 2015. She returned to the runway in 2017 and told the Telegraph in 2018 that the Victoria’s Secret fashion show was “very relevant to the world we live in today”. . ”
“There’s something really powerful about women owning and taking responsibility for their sexuality,” she said.
In a 2019 cover story for British Vogue, Cross, now 32, said her decision to sever ties with VS was related to her feminist beliefs.
“I made the decision to stop working with Victoria’s Secret because Victoria’s Secret truly reflects who I am and what it means to be a true reflection of who I am and what I want to send to young women around the world. “Because I didn’t feel like the image reflected the message of ‘Beautiful,'” she shared.
These days, Klossy is busy working on her coding program “Kode with Klossy” and hosting Project Runway. She is also raising two young sons with husband Joshua Kushner.
Selita Ebanks
Selita Banks at the 2007 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Banks, 41, was a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 2005 to 2010. She then appeared on several reality shows, including “Catfish: The TV Show” and “Uncorked.” In April 2024, her new reality series “Grand Cayman Secrets In Paradise” premiered on Freeform.
lily aldridge
Lily Aldridge at the 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
Aldridge was a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 2009 to 2018. She continued to be involved with the brand off the runway, appearing in campaigns such as the 2024 Body by Victoria bra.
“It’s been such an amazing journey,” Aldridge tells PEOPLE about working with VS. “I love being part of a team and the camaraderie.”