Victoria's Secret is a retail brand of lingerie and beauty products. The company was founded in San Francisco, California, USA in 1977 by Roy Raymond, who sold it in 1982 to The Limited Inc., and it is now owned by the successor Limited Brands company. Since the takeover the company has been based in Columbus, Ohio though it has at times sought to foster an image of being British. Raymond eventually committed suicide in 1993, jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
Victoria's Secret had sales of more than US$2.4 billion through their 1,014 retail stores in the United States in 2002. All stores of Limited Brands are corporately owned. Victoria's Secret products are also available through the catalogue business, Victoria's Secret Direct, with sales of approximately US$870 million. The company uses supermodels in their advertising and fashion shows; prominent supermodels featured by Victoria's Secret include Alessandra Ambrosio, Tyra Banks, Gisele Bündchen, Laetitia Casta, Adriana Lima, Petra Nemcova, Frederique van der Wal, Heidi Klum and Tricia Helfer. Victoria's Secret has a flag-ship store in New York City's Herald Square.
The brand has been heavily criticized by groups such as the American Decency Association and whatisvictoriassecret.com for their use of "soft porn" advertisement
Among popular interest and under controversy, is the announcement by Victoria's Secret spokesman Marcus Brown for the launch of 2005's new line of edible underwear.
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