redefining wings

When Angel Reese stepped onto the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway in New York City on October 15, 2025, the applause wasn’t just for her outfit — it was for what she represented. A 6’3” powerhouse forward for the Chicago Sky, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, and a pop-culture lightning rod since her LSU days, Reese made history as the first professional athlete ever to walk in a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

For decades, Victoria’s Secret Angels symbolized one narrow version of beauty — statuesque, slim, and soft. But Reese’s walk, framed by her confident stride and commanding athletic grace, shattered that illusion. It marked the moment when “strong” and “beautiful” stopped being opposites and started being synonyms.

“I wanted to show that an athlete can be both powerful and glamorous,” Reese told People before the show. “I grew up watching women on that runway, never thinking I could be one. Now I get to be the example I wish I had.”

Her words landed like a manifesto — not just for herself, but for every girl who grew up balancing sneakers and stilettos.

the making of a modern icon

Reese’s rise from Baton Rouge to the fashion world has been anything but accidental. Since helping LSU clinch the 2023 NCAA title — a game that drew a record 9.9 million viewers — she has been redefining what a modern athlete looks like. Her unapologetic celebration on the court, her outspokenness about women’s sports visibility, and her ventures into fashion and media have made her one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA.

In many ways, her walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway is the logical continuation of her brand. For the past year, Reese has been expanding her portfolio beyond basketball: from deals with Reebok and Beats to front-row appearances at New York Fashion Week and collaborations with Coach and Skims.

Her team reportedly began discussions with Victoria’s Secret in early 2025, after Reese appeared in their Icons of Confidence campaign — a precursor to the brand’s newly revived runway show. By then, Victoria’s Secret had shifted from its “Angels Only” era toward a reimagined identity: one focused on empowerment, inclusion, and authenticity. Under creative director Adam Selman, the 2025 show sought to rebuild the brand’s cultural relevance — and few embodied that mission more naturally than Angel Reese.

from the court to the catwalk

Transitioning from the hardwood to the runway might seem like a leap, but for Reese, it was another form of performance. “I trained for this like I train for a game,” she said in a backstage interview. “Runway is rhythm, posture, and presence — it’s muscle memory in heels.”

Reese worked with a professional runway coach for six weeks ahead of the show, balancing her WNBA offseason training schedule with hours of walking practice. Her background in athletics, she admitted, gave her a mental edge. “I’m used to pressure. You miss one step, you recover — just like a rebound.”

When the big moment came, Reese walked during the “Wings Reveal” segment — one of the show’s signature moments — in a soft pink lace bodysuit embroidered with gold accents and paired with crystal-lined wings that shimmered under the runway lights. The crowd erupted when her name was announced. Cameras flashed; social feeds exploded.

The symbolism wasn’t lost on anyone. A woman whose wings had always been metaphorical now wore them, literally.

victoria’s secret 2.0

The 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show wasn’t just a comeback — it was a cultural recalibration. After canceling the annual broadcast in 2019 amid criticism for its lack of inclusivity, the brand spent six years rebuilding its image.

This year’s show was produced at the Steiner Studios in Brooklyn and streamed globally on Amazon Live, YouTube, and Hulu, with performances by Missy Elliott, TWICE, and Karol G. Instead of the bombastic, hyper-sexualized tone of past shows, Selman’s version blended performance art, music, and storytelling. Models of all backgrounds — including Paloma Elsesser, Laverne Cox, and Gigi Hadid — shared the stage.

Reese’s casting was perhaps the boldest statement of all. She wasn’t a traditional model, nor did she try to be. Her physique, confidence, and authenticity embodied the evolving definition of sensuality in 2025 — one that celebrates diversity in body, background, and purpose.

Selman later told Vogue: “Angel was a natural choice. She carries herself like an athlete and a star. When she walks, she owns the room — that’s what this new era of Victoria’s Secret is about.”

flow

In many ways, Reese’s appearance on the runway was a culmination of several intersecting trends reshaping both the sports and fashion industries.

The athlete as brand icon.
The rise of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals has blurred the line between sports and marketing. Reese was one of the first female college athletes to fully leverage her platform, signing multimillion-dollar deals before even turning pro. Her brand image — bold, self-aware, and culturally fluent — aligns perfectly with fashion’s current craving for authenticity.

Fashion’s shift toward performance and power.
Luxury brands have been gravitating toward athletic aesthetics for years — from Balenciaga’s training-inspired silhouettes to Miu Miu’s tennis-core revival. Bringing a real athlete onto the runway adds dimension to that narrative. Reese doesn’t perform athleticism as costume — she embodies it.

Women’s sports as cultural movement.
The WNBA’s viewership and visibility have skyrocketed in recent seasons, driven by personalities like Reese, Caitlin Clark, and A’ja Wilson. The league’s players are no longer just athletes — they’re cultural protagonists. Reese’s crossover into Victoria’s Secret’s world amplifies that transformation, turning the runway into yet another arena for empowerment.

an athlete’s confidence

Backstage, Reese admitted that she felt more nerves than she had before any basketball game. “It’s different when you’re not wearing your uniform,” she laughed. “You’re still performing, but in a way that’s entirely new.”

Still, her competitive edge never faded. She described the adrenaline rush of stepping out under the lights as “like the fourth quarter with 30 seconds left.”

“She’s magnetic,” said Victoria’s Secret stylist Rachael Wang. “Every step she took told a story — confidence, strength, elegance. It wasn’t rehearsed; it was instinctive.”

Even Sports Illustrated’s post-show coverage highlighted her composure: “Angel Reese didn’t just walk — she commanded the runway.”

beyond the wings

Reese’s crossover carries a deeper resonance for women’s sports. For decades, female athletes have battled limited visibility and restrictive narratives — often forced to choose between being “competitive” and “feminine.” Reese rejects that binary.

On social media, she captioned her post-show photo simply:

“Strong is sexy. Beautiful is powerful.”

Those six words encapsulate the cultural moment she represents. By bridging athletics and fashion, she’s expanding what femininity looks like in the public eye.

Sports analyst Jemele Hill summarized it best: “Angel Reese didn’t just make history. She made it harder for anyone to say women’s sports don’t sell.”

culture

The visual of Reese walking down the runway — poised, smiling, radiant under pink lighting — went viral within minutes. It became the defining image of the 2025 show, a still frame that transcended fashion.

By the next morning, her walk had amassed millions of views across TikTok and Instagram. Even outlets outside the sports and fashion spheres — from CNN to Rolling Stone — ran features on her.

Reese’s debut coincided with a broader movement in women’s sports: rising attendance, record media deals, and growing crossover visibility. In that sense, her walk wasn’t just about fashion; it was about momentum.

bridging two worlds

When asked what walking in the Victoria’s Secret show means to her legacy, Reese didn’t hesitate:

“It’s about being myself — fully. I can be fierce on the court and glamorous on the runway. I want girls to know they don’t have to pick one version of themselves.”

That philosophy has guided her since LSU, where her boldness sometimes drew criticism. But it’s also what made her resonate with millions who saw in her a new kind of role model — one who embraces contradiction, confidence, and authenticity.

Walking alongside supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Liu Wen, Reese didn’t look out of place. She looked inevitable.

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