Tennis superstar and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka is joining the Victoria’s Secret VS Collective, the brand’s latest initiative to be inclusive of all women.
“After learning and understanding about VS’s vision for the Collective, I was inspired to join these amazing women,” Osaka told WWD. “I remember going into [Victoria’s Secret] stores when I was a kid and wondering why none of the women on the wall looked like me. Now, as a collective, we can inspire the next generation from all different backgrounds, cultures, and sizes. That represents such progress to me.”
Member of the VS Collective also include Hailey Bieber, Priyanka Chopra, Megan Rapinoe, World Champion freestyle skier Eileen Gu, plus-size model Paloma Elsesser and transgender model Valentina Sampaio.
“When thinking about the VS Collective and our ever-growing group of advocates, Naomi was a natural choice,” Janie Schaffer, chief design officer of Victoria’s Secret, told WWD. “She exudes such a positive energy and continues to inspire women across the globe with her courage, determination, and honesty. We are honored to be partnering with Naomi to help drive positive change.”
Launched last June, the VS Collective is part of Victoria’s Secret new growth strategy. The brand separated from Bath & Body Works last August and plans on being more inclusive of all women.
“Based on what women told us — talking to women over the last year and a half even more to understand where we had gotten off track as a brand and how we need to show up for women going forward — is that they want us to change,” Martha Pease, Victoria’s Secret’s chief marketing officer, told WWD. “The answers we got back had to do with representing a diverse way of thinking and relating to women, and showing more types of women, so that all types of women could see themselves in the brand.”
Osaka took the news to Instagram where she expressed how excited she was to be one of Victoria’s Secret new ambassadors. “Wouldn’t have thought this was possible as a child and I’m so glad there’s more representation in the world now,” she wrote.
Photo Credit: Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG21/Getty Images For The Met Museum/Vogue