Many were shocked to hear the news that Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes (who first made an appearance as an “Angel” in 2008) has made the decision to leave her contract with the lingerie powerhouse. This comes to a shock to fans and industry professionals alike as fellow Victoria’s Secret angel Karlie Kloss left the line only a few days earlier leaving questions regarding what is happening behind the scenes at Victoria’s Secret. These high profile departures has people quipping ” angels never fly alone” and wondering whether or not there will be more shocking news for Victoria’s Secret in the coming days or if these are truly isolated cases of the models wanting to pursue alternative opportunities.
There is speculation that it was well known behind the scenes that these models were leaving however there hadn’t been any word of this breathed to the press until last week when the story broke about the first departure (of Karlie Kloss). It’s important to note that these models were not at the end of their respective contracts but had requested to be released from them early.
It is well known that being a Victoria’s Secret “Angel” is much more stressful and time consuming than simply being a general model for the brand but why after all of these years has veteran “angel” Doutzen Kroes want to leave now? There has been some whispers about models not being paid as much as they have been in earlier years with the company which is what supposedly is leaving to the mini exodus from Victoria’s Secret. Reports say that Kroes had actually left the line all the way back in December 2014 but are only now at the end of February 2015 getting around to disclosing this information to the public. When the marketing executives were asked why they didn’t address Kroes’ departure from the brand earlier they simply responded that it was a mistake on their behalf. So after six years of being a representative why has she left? This still has yet to be answered. The only aspect of her departure that has been disclosed from the Victoria’s Secret executive is that she is leaving to pursue better business opportunities.
While Kroes and Kloss are both departing from the line many wonder who will be the next Angel to leave if the rumours of inadequate pay turn out to be true. Angels are rumoured to be making around $100,000 for participation in the world famous Victoria’s Secret runway show and promotions. Although $100,000 may seem like a lot of money, in comparison to what other internationally acclaimed super models (of the same caliber) are making while promoting other brands, it doesn’t seem as if it’s the best financial decision for these angels not to shed their wings.
It would not be surprising to see the other angels going to the table to re-nogotiate their contracts with Victoria’s Secret executives after the departure of a veteran such as Kroes as to avoid any negative publicity surrounding the brand. Will more angels take flight? If Victoria’s Secret doesn’t pay more attention to the needs of its models they could potentially have a public relations disaster on their hands.
