Victoria’s Secret executive on why they don’t cast transgender or plus-size models

Victoria's Secret's Chief Marketing Officer has claimed that the company doesn't cast plus-size or transgender models as there is "no interest in it".

In an interview with Vogue, Ed Razek defended his "brand point of view" by saying he had considered casting transgender and plus-size models in their show - but hadn't done so as "we market who we sell to, and we don't market to the whole world". Adding that he didn't think Victoria's Secret "can be all things to all customers," he continued:

“We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don’t. "Our show is the only branded special in the world, seen in 190 countries, by 1 billion 6 million people; 45 percent more people saw it last year than the year before. Our direct business is growing substantially — double digits on a monthly basis.”

Razek was joined by Monica Mitro, the executive vice president of public relations at Victoria's Secret, for the interview. The pair were also asked about the brand's bra size range - and why it only goes from 30A to 40DDD. Razek said:

"Where does it end? Do I think about diversity? Yes. Does the brand think about diversity? Yes. Do we offer larger sizes? Yes. "It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. "Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is. It is the only one of its kind in the world."

The interview was originally published earlier this week. Following backlash online, Razek issued a statement via the Victoria's Secret Twitter account. https://twitter.com/VictoriasSecret/status/1061106626583822338 It read:

"My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive and I apologise. "To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We've had transgender models come to castings and, like many others, they didn't make it. "But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are."