Every Victoria’s Secret Angel Ever: How Heidi Klum Became ‘The Body,’ Gisele Debuted the World’s Most Expensive Bra and Tyra Banks Broke Boundaries

Karen Mulder was one of the original Victoria’s Secret Angels, becoming the first to wear wings on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway in 1998. She also frequently appeared in the brand’s ad campaigns and catalog. Alongside fellow models Tyra Banks, Stephanie Seymour and Helena Christensen, Mulder appeared in the first television commercial for Victoria’s Secret’s line of Angel lingerie.

Tyra Banks began modeling for Victoria’s Secret in 1996, becoming the first Black model to appear on the cover of its catalog. The following year, she was tapped to be apart of the original Angel lineup, which also included Karen Mulder, Stephanie Seymour and Helena Christensen.

Banks wore two Fantasy Bras during her time with the brand: in 1997, she sported the $3 million Diamond Dream Bra, modeling the Heavenly 70 Fantasy Bra — worth $10 million — seven years later. Banks was also the first Angel to walk the runway in a Fantasy Bra, borrowing Claudia Schiffer’s Million Dollar Miracle Bra, made in 1996, for the 1999 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at Cipriani’s.

Banks will return to the Victoria’s Secret catwalk in 2024, appearing in the brand’s revived fashion show. “It feels crazy being back on the Victoria’s Secret runway. I mean, like, ‘cray cray,’ as in ‘cray cray good,’” she said in a recent Instagram video. “I never thought that I would be back on this runway, to be honest.”

Helena Christensen was only an Angel for one full year, appearing in campaigns and catalog for the lingerie label. Following her departure, she pursued photography and publishing, cofounding Nylon magazine and creative directing several editorials.

Stephanie Seymour was technically the first Angel to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which began in 1995. However, she didn’t technically become an Angel until 1997, when she fronted the brand’s eponymous line of lingerie in both print and television advertisements. After leaving Victoria’s Secret, Seymour launched her own underwear brand, Raven and Sparrow, in 2017.

Daniela Pestova appeared in several Victoria’s Secret fashion shows and modeled the Fantasy Bra in 1998. Priced at $5 million, the Dream Angel bra featured a floral pattern embellished with diamonds and rubies. Nearly two decades after leaving Victoria’s Secret, Pestova returned to model for the brand, appearing in its 2020 holiday campaign.

Laetitia Casta was just eighteen years old when she walked in her first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. In a 2015 interview, she admitted that she felt objectified by the brand, leading her to end her Angel contract within two years.

Chandra North had a brief career with Victoria’s Secret, walking in just two fashion shows, with her Angel contract lasting only a year.

Although she was only an Angel from 1998 to 1999, Inés Rivero continued to walk in Victoria’s Secret fashion shows after her contract ended. She’s also the only Argentinian to ever hold the Angel title.

Heidi Klum was the first German model to become a Victoria’s Secret Angel. During her time with the company, she earned the nickname “The Body,” which would eventually become its own line of Victoria’s Secret bras. “It’s a big honor having a bra named after me,” Klum said in 2006. She also collaborated with the brand in 2007 and 2008, launching cosmetics as part of the Heidi Klum Very Sexy Makeup Collection.

Klum is one of two Victoria’s Secret Angels to wear the Fantasy Bra three times: she first modeled the $10 million Millennium Bra, followed by the Heavenly Star Bra and the Very Sexy Fantasy Bra, worth $12.5 million and $11 million, respectively.

After 13 years with the brand, Klum officially hung up her Angel wings in 2010. “All good things have to come to an end,” she said in a statement at the time. “I will always love Victoria and never tell her secret.”

Gisele Bündchen became a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2000, fronting campaigns for their lingerie and attending promotional events on behalf of the brand. That year, she modeled the Red Hot Fantasy Bra — with matching underwear — at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Bündchen’s bedazzled undergarments, worth $15 million, were adorned with diamonds and rubies. According to Guinness World Records, the Red Hot Fantasy Bra is the most expensive piece of lingerie ever made.

Bündchen’s time with Victoria’s Secret came to an end in 2007. “For the first five years, I felt comfortable modeling in lingerie, but as time went on, I felt less and less at ease being photographed walking the runway wearing just a bikini or a thong,” she wrote in her memoir. “Give me a tail, a cape, wings — please, anything to cover me up a little!”

Adriana Lima is the longest-running Victoria’s Secret Angel, having been a spokesmodel for the brand for nearly 20 years.

In 2008, Lima modeled the coveted Fantasy Bra for the first time. Beverly Hills-based jeweler Martin Katz designed the black diamond piece, which was covered in 3,900 gems including 117 white diamonds and 34 rubies. Lima donned the Fantasy Bra twice more, sporting bejeweled braziers in the 2010 and 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows. Other than Heidi Klum, Lima is the only Angel to wear the Fantasy Bra three times.

Five years after her departure, Lima returned to front the brand’s Heavenly fragrance campaign in 2023. That year, she also appeared in the VS Icons campaign alongside fellow former Angels Candice Swanepoel and Gisele Bündchen.

Alessandra Ambrosio began modeling for Victoria’s Secret in 2004, becoming the very first spokesmodel for their Pink line in 2006. She wore the Fantasy Bra twice, including in 2014, when she and her fellow Brazilian bombshell, Adriana Lima, shared the honor — each Dream Angels Fantasy Bra (which also came with matching body jewelry) took artisans 1,380 hours to assemble, with the combined cost totaling $4 million.

In 2017, Ambrosio announced her retirement from the lingerie label on Instagram following the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

“Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have been working for this amazing brand that inspires me and women all over the world,” she began. “Thank you to all my Victoria’s Secret family for making these memories unforgettable.”

Selita Ebanks’ very first job for Victoria’s Secret was modeling in a campaign for their Ipex Bra. While she was an Angel, she had the honor of wearing the Holiday Fantasy Bra, a $4.5 million set of undergarments that included a garter, barrette and cuff bracelet featuring holly and poinsettia motifs. Made from 18-karat gold, they were bedazzled with 584 carats of diamonds, 797 carats of emeralds, 276 carats of rubies and three carats of yellow sapphires.

Izabel Goulart was only an Angel for three years, but she continued walking in Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows even after hanging up her wings. Her final walk for the brand was in 2016.

During her time with Victoria’s Secret, Goulart also attended several in-store events as a spokesmodel, promoting their Very Sexy Makeup line, Beauty Rush lip gloss and the Secret Embrace bra collection, among others.

Karolina Kurkova modeled her first Fantasy Bra before she was formally named an Angel. At the age of 18, she walked the Victoria’s Secret runway in the Star of Victoria Fantasy Bra, a $10 million Mouawad rose garden-inspired design that came with a matching belt. One thousand-six hundred emeralds and 1,150 rubies were punctuated with a 60-carat pear-shaped diamond.

After succeeding Alessandra Ambrosio as a Pink spokesmodel in 2006, Miranda Kerr became the first Australian Victoria’s Secret Angel the following year. In 2011, Kerr modeled the $2.5 million Fantasy Treasure Bra during the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, wearing a London Jewelers piece adorned with pearls, diamonds and a tassel featuring emerald-cut aquamarine and citrine stones.

Marisa Miller began modeling for Victoria’s Secret in 2002, booking her first television commercial with the company in 2007, promoting the It Bra alongside Heidi Klum. Throughout her time with the brand, Miller also attended promotional events for its 2008 Swim line, as well as the fragrance Very Sexy Dare.

For her final Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Miller was selected to wear the Harlequin Fantasy Bra, a $3 million piece created by Italian jeweler Damiani. White and colored diamonds adorned the cups, while a 16-carat heart-shaped diamond dangled from the center.

Dutch model Doutzen Kroes became an Angel in 2008, walking in several Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows until her contract ended in 2014. Alongside fellow former Angel Lily Aldridge, Kroes reunited with the brand in 2024, appearing in their Body by Victoria campaign.

Behati Prinsloo started out as a model for Victoria’s Secret Pink in 2008 before being promoted to Angel in 2009. The following year, she codesigned a swimsuit line for the Pink label called Behati Loves Pink!, which included bikinis and cover-ups.

In July, Prinsloo reunited with the brand, appearing in the Victoria’s Secret Dream campaign. Alongside fellow former Angels Candice Swanepoel and Taylor Hill, she modeled the new line of bras, underwear, sleepwear in promotional imagery and a short video spot. Prinsloo will also return to the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2024 for their revived fashion show.

Lily Aldridge became a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2010 following her first walk in the brand’s annual fashion show in 2009. She modeled the $2 million Fireworks Fantasy Bra, made by Mouawad, in 2015. Set in 18-karat yellow gold, it featured a firework pattern made from a burst of jewels including diamonds, sapphires, garnets, amethysts, topazes, tourmalines, peridots, quartzes, citrines and tsavorites, which encrusted the bra and matching belt.

During Erin Heatherton’s tenure as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, she walked in five fashion shows and fronted campaigns for the brand’s Very Sexy Now fragrance, swimwear and Showstopper bras.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley made her Victoria’s Secret debut in 2006, walking in the brand’s fashion show in Los Angeles. The first British Angel, her contract with the company lasted just one year.

Chanel Iman began working with Victoria’s Secret as a model for its Pink sub brand. She graduated to Fashion Show status in 2009, officially becoming an Angel the following year. In her time as a spokesmodel, Iman attended in-store events in promotion of the brand’s Incredible bras, as well as Pink’s collaborations with Major League Baseball and the National Football League.

Candice Swanepoel spent eight years as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, though she began modeling for the brand in 2007. She wore her first and only Fantasy Bra at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show: Mouawad’s $10 million creation was decorated with 5,400 gems including diamonds, rubies, yellow and blue sapphires.

The South African model returned to the Victoria’s Secret spotlight in 2023, appearing in their Icons lingerie campaign alongside Naomi Campbell and fellow former Angels Gisele Bündchen and Adriana Lima. She will also make her VSFS comeback in 2024 as part of the brand’s revived fashion show.

Lindsay Ellingson walked in four Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows and appeared in the brand’s 2010 swim catalog before she was promoted to Angel in 2011. As one of the company’s primary spokesmodels, Ellingson served as the face of the fragrance line VS Attractions and the Gorgeous bra.

Karlie Kloss began modeling for Victoria’s Secret in 2011, walking in her first fashion show for the brand that year. Her Angel contract lasted for two years, with Kloss leaving the lingerie label to pursue her studies at New York University. In 2017, however, she returned to the Victoria’s Secret catwalk.

Kloss later explained that her decision to step down as an Angel also had to do with the “message” the brand was sending to young girls. “I didn’t feel it was an image that was truly reflective of who I am,” the supermodel said in a 2019 interview. “I think that was a pivotal moment in me stepping into my power as a feminist, being able to make my own choices and my own narrative, whether through the companies I choose to work with, or through the image I put out to the world.”

Alongside Elsa Hosk and Sara Sampaio, Kate Grigorieva was announced as one of ten new Victoria’s Secret Angels in 2015. The Russian model appeared in a television commercial for the brand’s Body by Victoria line and walked in three fashion shows before her contract ended in 2016.

“It’s an honor, I’m so proud to work with Victoria’s Secret,” Grigorieva said of becoming an Angel in a 2015 interview.

As an Angel, Taylor Hill was the face of Victoria’s Secret’s Tease fragrance range. She remained an Angel until the discontinuation of the program in 2021, though she returned to work for Victoria’s Secret in 2024, appearing in their Dream campaign. She’ll also make her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show comeback this year.

Elsa Hosk got her start at Victoria’s Secret as a Pink spokesmodel, appearing in campaigns and at promotional events on behalf of the sub brand. She became their first Swedish Angel in 2015, modeling the $1 million Swarovski Fantasy Bra during the final televised Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2018. The bralette-inspired design was encrusted with 21,000 diamonds.

Martha Hunt began modeling for Victoria’s Secret in 2014, appearing in catalog imagery and fronting the campaign for their scent Fearless. As an Angel, she walked in five fashion shows and was chosen to wear a custom Swarovski look for the 2017 spectacle.

In an interview with Victoria’s Secret in 2015, Hunt revealed that a friend of hers inspired her to try modeling. “I was probably in middle school and my friend had been watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on television, and she was like, ‘Martha, you should see these girls. You could be one of them.’ It’s funny because I’ll never forget her telling me that. I remember just feeling really excited that I got that sort of compliment.”

Though her time as an Angel was relatively short, Jac Jagaciak posed in campaigns for the brand’s sportswear line, formerly known as VSX, as well as its Swim range. She also appeared in television commercials for their Very Sexy Push-Up Bra and Body by Victoria collection.

Stella Maxwell started modeling for Victoria’s Secret in 2014, when she first walked in the brand’s fashion show. Upon her promotion to Angel, Maxwell revealed she was “a bit overwhelmed” by the news. “I got emotional, and it made me really happy,” she explained in a 2015 interview with Victoria’s Secret.

Walking in the fashion show, she added, marked the fulfillment of a childhood dream. “You grow up watching [the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show]… To do it, I couldn’t be happier,” Maxwell said.

As an Angel, Maxwell attended promotional events for their Body by Victoria, Dream Angels and Bombshell fragrance lines.

Lais Ribeiro modeled for Victoria’s Secret long before she became an Angel. She was a regular in the lingerie label’s catalogs and fashion shows until earning her wings in 2015. Two years later, the Brazilian model was chosen to wear the Champagne Nights Fantasy Bra on the Victoria’s Secret catwalk, sporting a $2 million Mouawad set crafted with 18-karat gold, diamonds, sapphires and blue topaz stones.

“When I first started, I didn’t know anything about the business. After being in New York, everybody was talking about Victoria’s Secret,” Ribeiro said in a 2015 interview with the brand. “Of course I went to check it out online and I saw Adriana, Alessandra. They are women who inspire me, and I look up to them and all those girls.”

Sara Sampaio modeled for Victoria’s Secret as early as 2011, appearing in the brand’s catalog. She became an Angel four years later after walking in two Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows. Getting to work with the lingerie label was a “dream come true” for the Portugese model, who was originally rejected from walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show twice.

Romee Strijd was an Angel for six years before Victoria’s Secret discontinued the title in 2021. As one of the brand’s contracted spokesmodels, she appeared in television commercials and photographed campaigns for their lingerie and fragrances.

Jasmine Tookes became an Angel in 2015 after walking in the brand’s fashion shows since 2012. During her time with Victoria’s Secret, Tookes was the face of their Scandalous and Very Scandalous fragrances. She also got to wear the coveted Fantasy Bra at the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Crafted by Eddie Borgo, it took over 700 hours to make the emerald and diamond piece, which weighed 450 carats.

“That was one of the most glamorous things I ever got to experience,” Tookes told WWD in 2023. “Having a bra molded to my body was absolutely insane, and just the fact that it cost $3 million. That’s never going to happen again.”

In her youth, Josephine Skriver looked up to former Angel Helena Christensen before stepping into the role herself in 2016. She also wore Swarovski’s custom look at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show that year. After her contract with the brand ended, Skriver launched her own activewear line, Joja, with fellow Angel Jasmine Tookes in 2022.

“That would be the dream, to have our own Joja stores,” Skriver told WWD at the time. “With everything that goes on in the supply chain, and self-funding, we’ll see how much we can make happen. But we really, really want to expand this to a full universe.”

Leomie Anderson was only an Angel for two years, but she walked in four fashion shows for the brand before they canceled the spectacle in 2019. While working for Victoria’s Secret, the British model fronted the campaign for their Incredible bra collection, which she also promoted at in-store events.

Grace Elizabeth was a spokesmodel for the Pink sub brand for three years before she was promoted to Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2019. She was nine months pregnant with her son, Noah, when she was photographed for a Victoria’s Secret Mother’s Day campaign in 2021, the same year her Angel contract ended.

One of the last models to be named an Angel was Alexina Graham, who earned the title in 2019. She appeared in campaigns for Victoria’s Secret lingerie, including the Incredible bra, as well as the brand’s Swim line.

Barbara Palvin began working with Victoria’s Secret in 2012, becoming an Angel seven years later. In her time with the brand, she appeared in their Michael Bay-directed 2012 Holiday commercial and promoted their Incredible Bra collection at in-store events. She returned to work for the lingerie label in 2023, when she fronted a campaign for a Victoria’s Secret collaboration with For Love & Lemons.