The Hush underneath Victoria’s Secret

Sometime in the mid-1970s, following an experience in his marriage, Roy Raymond founded Victoria's Secret. He had gone shopping for his wife and to his dismay, all he found was unappealing nightdresses that stuck out like a sore thumb in the store. Recalling his experience, he said he always felt extremely uncomfortable because of the sharp judgmental stares from behind the counter.

Birth of Victoria’s Secret:
Brushing past these appallin incidences, his mind sparked up with an idea to come up with a lingerie store for the male partners to shop for their wives without judgment. He mused the name "Victoria" to evoke the kind of approbation that is associated with the Victorian era.

Breaking new ground:
For most women back then, the 'unmentionables' were reserved for special occasions; it was all about functionality, durability, and practicality. However, Raymond's idea was like a breath of fresh air which paved the way for sales to skyrocket at an all-time high.

Tumbling times:
It's initial design mirrored a brothel and its initial customer base did indeed attract men. But then quickly began to pivot as a significant variable in Raymond's formula went amiss.

The Knight in Shining Armor:
Enter Leslie Wexner, a successful businessman, who was probing for a meaningful venture into the new brands. He figured what Raymond couldn't wrap his head around--- the fact that VS failed to attract a significant following from female customers because it's USP was focussed only on the males.
He then evolved the business, weathered near-bankruptcy and eventually made it the empire that it is today.

The fall of the other:
Amidst all these milestones, Roy Raymond's life fell into disrepair. After selling his company for $1 Million (which ended up being worth more than $1 Billion) he jumped to his death leaving behind his divorced wife and two teenage children.
As Naomi Barr puts it, "His genius was recognizing the need to remove shame from the process of buying unmentionables. But.. his story reads like a cautionary tale of how a brilliant opportunity can be seized and yet missed."