Victoria’s Secret said goodbye to its Angels in 2021. Five years later, the lingerie giant has a YouTube docuseries called “Angels Among Us” and is about to name a new one.
More than 100,000 applicants have been narrowed down to three women, one of whom will walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 18.
In Thursday’s episode, the three remaining contestants — Andreína Martínez Fournier, Solange Omon and Tatyana Tinsley — each filmed a rain-and-glitter-filled reveal video to be used if they win the competition.
The winner will be announced during Sunday’s show and receive an exclusive modeling contract with IMG Models. But the competition also brings back a question Victoria’s Secret appeared to have settled in 2021, when it scrapped the Angel title in favor of a new group of ambassadors called the VS Collective. So what exactly does being a Victoria’s Secret Angel mean now?
“Angels are an iconic, globally recognized part of Victoria’s Secret, and we’re excited to celebrate that heritage through a modern lens. We’ve heard from so many women who dream of becoming an Angel and being part of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and ‘Angels Among Us’ was a direct result of wanting to make that dream a reality,” a Victoria’s Secret spokesperson told WWD via email.
“Today, being an Angel is about celebrating individuality, confidence and that undeniable energy and authenticity that inspires others. We’re thrilled to welcome our newest Angel into the Victoria’s Secret family and look forward to sharing more about her journey following Sunday’s reveal.”
Who Are the Final Three Victoria’s Secret Angel Contestants?
The three finalists are Andreína Martínez Fournier, Tatyana Tinsley and Solange Omon.
Andreína Martínez Fournie
Martínez Fournier has already competed on an international stage. The Dominican model was crowned Miss Dominican Republic in 2021 and finished as a second runner-up at Miss Universe 2022. During her “Angels Among Us” casting, Victoria’s Secret creative chief Adam Selman praised her walked but questioned whether the pageant veteran could make the jump into fashion.
Tatyana Tinsley
Born and raised in the Bronx, Tinsley began modeling in 2019 and has since built a portfolio of commercial, editorial and runway work. She walked in Sherri Hill’s spring 2027 show at New York Fashion Week, just weeks before the Victoria’s Secret competition reached its final three.
Solange Omon
Omon is originally from Cameroon but now calls Maine home. She’s represented by Port City Models and has walked in multicultural fashion shows — a different résumé from former Miss Universe contestant Martínez Fournier or New York runway model Tinsley.
How Victoria’s Secret Is Choosing Its Next Angel
The search began in April, when Victoria’s Secret announced an open casting call for aspiring models. Castings took place in Chicago, Houston, Miami and Los Angeles, with Selman and scouts from IMG Models involved in the selection process.
The six-episode series, which premiered Sept. 27, was directed by Nadia Hallgren, whose credits include Netflix’s “Victoria Beckham” and “Pop Star Academy: Katseye.” Boardwalk Pictures, the production company behind “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” and “Chef’s Table,” also worked on the project.
The contestants have faced auditions, runway challenges and eliminations, with viewers getting a look at the casting process that has historically taken place behind closed doors.
Elizabeth Preis, Victoria’s Secret’s chief marketing and customer officer, told WWD in September that the idea came from customers.
“We were listening and we were learning last year very intently on what did our consumers, what did our customers, what did our fans want and love about us as a brand,” Preis said. “That is what helped start the conversation — what if we actually had an opportunity to invite somebody in our community to be part of the runway? That’s how it started.”
Preis also pointed to the popularity of behind-the-scenes content from past fashion shows, including videos of the elaborate wings being made and models preparing backstage. “Everyone wants to feel like an insider,” she said.
For the winner, the competition offers a chance to walk alongside some of the world’s best-known supermodels. But historically, being an Angel came with a lot more than a pair of wings.
How Victoria’s Secret Angels Became Supermodels
The Angel name dates back to 1997, when Victoria’s Secret introduced a lingerie collection with an advertising campaign featuring Tyra Banks, Helena Christensen, Karen Mulder, Daniela Peštová and Stephanie Seymour.
The wings, which would eventually become synonymous with the brand, made their runway debut in 1998.
Over the next two decades, Victoria’s Secret turned the Angel title into one of modeling’s most sought-after contracts. Unlike models who were hired to walk in the fashion show, Angels were official spokesmodels for the company, appearing in advertising campaigns, promotional events and other brand projects.
The roster included some of the biggest names in fashion, among them Heidi Klum, Gisele Bündchen, Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr and Candice Swanepoel.
Klum, who joined in 1999, became known as “The Body,” while Bündchen, who signed with the brand in 2000, went on to become one of the world’s highest-paid supermodels. Banks, meanwhile, helped break barriers for Black models during her time with the company.
Then there was the Fantasy Bra, a jewel-encrusted lingerie creation that could cost millions of dollars. Wearing it on the runway was another distinction reserved for a select group of models.
The last Fantasy Bra appeared during the 2018 show and was modeled by Elsa Hosk. Now, after an eight-year absence, the Fantasy Bra is making a comeback for Sunday’s show, with Victoria’s Secret tapping luxury jewelry Jacob & Co. to create the new design.
The piece features diamonds in the jeweler’s proprietary Angel-Cut, including a centerpiece valued at $22 million, as the jeweler Jacob Arabo describe in a video posted to Victoria’s Secret Instagram.
“I wanted to create the most expensive fantasy bra ever made, but value alone was never enough,” Arabo explained. “For me, it had to be about the diamonds, the light, and the movement.” The full value of the piece has not been disclosed, and the model chosen to wear it is also being kept under wraps until Sunday’s show.
Why Did Victoria’s Secret Get Rid of Its Angels in 2021?
By the late 2010s, the company’s approach to beauty was increasingly criticized for its lack of size diversity and representation.
In 2018, then-chief marketing officer Ed Razek faced backlash after making controversial remarks about transgender and plus-size models. The fashion show, which had experienced declining television ratings, was discontinued the following year.
In June 2021, Victoria’s Secret announced the VS Collective, a group of women who would represent the company in place of its longtime Angels.
Instead of a roster made up primarily of lingerie models, the founding members included soccer star Megan Rapinoe, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, skier Eileen Gu, models Paloma Elsesser, Adut Akech and Valentina Sampaio, and photographer Amanda de Cadenet.
The change was part of a larger effort to overhaul Victoria’s Secret’s image after years of criticism over its narrow beauty standards and male-focused marketing.
The VS Collective would instead focus on women’s experiences, interests and achievements, with members participating in campaigns, collaborations and other brand initiatives. The brand also began featuring a wider range of models and body types in its advertising.
The fashion show, meanwhile, was making its way back. In 2023, Victoria’s Secret released “The Tour ’23,” an experimental fashion film and documentary project. A year later, the traditional Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned, complete with wings, familiar faces and a runway full of lingerie.
Banks and Lima were back, joined by models including Ashley Graham, Alex Consani and Sampaio.
The 2025 show brought another first when WNBA player Angel Reese became the first professional athlete to walk its show. The brand called Reese its newest Angel when announcing her runway debut and global partnership at the time. She subsequently appeared in a campaign for the brand in April 2026.
The renewed interest in Angels comes as Victoria’s Secret has been putting sex appeal back at the center of its business under chief executive officer Hillary Super, who took over in 2024.
In May, the company announced it was changing its New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol from VSCO to VSXY, a not-so-subtle reference to its latest marketing direction. The change took effect in June.
Super has maintained that Victoria’s Secret’s approach to sex appeal is broader than it was in the past, with an emphasis on women defining what sexy means to them.
What to Expect at the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
This year’s show, which Selman has dubbed “Fandemonium,” will feature plenty of familiar faces, including Lima, Swanepoel, Graham, Elsesser, Gigi Hadid, Grace Elizabeth, Joan Smalls and Liu Wen.
They’ll be joined by Anok Yai, Precious Lee, Imaan Hammam, Amelia Gray and Alex Consani, among others. Hosk, who last walked the show in 2018 and was the last one to model a Fantasy Bra, is also set to return.
There will also be performances from Megan Thee Stallion, Tate McRae, Megan Moroney and Katseye, continuing the company’s tradition of booking major musical acts for its runway productions.
Victoria’s Secret is also taking the show to movie theaters this year, with live screenings planned at select AMC locations.
The 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show will stream live on the brand’s YouTube channel, Instagram and TikTok on Sunday, Oct. 18, beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET.