10 facts you didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret! (List)

Read in the list below 10 interesting facts you probably didn’t know about Victoria’s Secret!

1. In 1998 someone decided to take “Angels” literally. Three years after the first Victoria’s Secret Runway show started, someone decided to take the “Angel” moniker literally and put these big feathered butt wings on model Karen Mulder. This is when it all started to go sideways.

2. During training for shoots and shows, models work out well over a couple hours a day, and working out is a large part of their job. They’re made to stay incredibly small and tone every inch of their body, which not only takes a toll on their body, but can also lead to body obsession.

3. There was no “Victoria”. Raymond picked the moniker because he felt it complemented the store’s chic, English-inspired interior, “replete with dark wood, oriental rugs, and silk drapery,” Slate’s Naomi Barr writes. “Outwardly refined, Victoria’s ‘secrets’ were hidden beneath.” Raymond and his wife, Gaye, would go on to open five more stores and launch a successful mail-order catalogue.

4. The company’s models wear bras worth millions. Ever since model Claudia Schiffer wore a $1 million bra in 1996, the values of the bejeweled articles of clothing have skyrocketed with each year, according to an E! Online report. Known as the Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra model, there will be two at this year’s fashion show: Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima. But their pieces will be worth double, complete with diamonds, rubies and sapphires.

5. One of the main things you need to know about Victoria’s Secret supermodels is the hair that you think is so perfectly long and beautifully fixed, isn’t even their real hair at all. All models wear extensions, which Bisutti described as taking hours to put in. Their hair is almost always dyed to look more appealing as well.

6. Founder Roy Raymond was inspired to open up his own shop after an awkward department store experience. “When I tried to buy lingerie for my wife, I was faced with racks of terry-cloth robes and ugly floral-print nylon nightgowns,” he explained. “I always had the feeling the department-store saleswomen thought I was an unwelcome intruder.” The very first Victoria’s Secret, devoted solely to selling lingerie in a more upscale (and male-friendly) atmosphere, opened in Palo Alto in 1977.

7. The company’s at the forefront of digital bra tech. Even Victoria’s Secret has entered into the wearable technology business. For just over $70, customers can purchase “Incredible by Victoria’s Secret,” a heart-rate monitor compatible sports bra, according to its website. The high-tech undergarment comps in either “Hello Lovely” pink or “Black Marl,” a grey and black toned version. “Perfect for running, boxing and high-impact workouts, our truly Incredible maximum support sport bra is on the front lines of fitness with sensors that attach to most heart-rate monitors,” according to the product description. Interestingly, however, it comes with heart rate sensors, but no monitor. “Use with most clip-on heart rate monitors by leading brands,” the description continues.

8. Almost all models are airbrushed before they go on stage, which takes away all appearances of cellulite, discolorations, and any flaws. They’re sprayed from head to toe with tanner, which can take hours to apply.

9. Almost all Victoria’s Secret models also wear fake eyelashes. Bisutti says she even felt like she had to wear them all the time because if she didn’t, she looked nothing like the real her, without all the fake eyelashes, along with the extensions and airbrushed skin.

10. It had a fake headquarters.In keeping with its upscale, British-influenced image, the company used to list its address on catalogues as “no. 10 Margaret Street, London”—even though the company was actually headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.