Originally published in VS&Co's 2024 Women's Impact Report

VS&Co has embarked on a first-of-its-kind initiative to purchase cotton directly from four Alabama family farms – three women-owned, and one Black-owned.

This marks a significant departure from traditional supply chain models in the fashion industry, which typically relies on intermediaries to ship, process, and sell in bulk. Rather, this direct and transparent relationship with our cotton partners eliminates intermediaries, so farmers receive all of the proceeds from their crops which in turn supports their land, livelihoods, families, and communities for future generations.

In 2023, about 43% of our cotton was purchased directly from our Alabama farm partners. Our intention is to continue growing direct-to-farms partnerships in the U.S. and around the world.

Ultimately, this work enables us to have greater visibility into who is growing our cotton and how it’s grown – ensuring the raw materials we source are contributing to our strategy of empowering women, supporting human rights as well as our environmental impact.

We hope you’ll check out page 25 of our Women’s Impact Report to learn more about Jamie Blythe, Larkin Martin and Liz Spruell who are all farmers in Alabama that VS&Co works closely with to source cotton for various products.

Minority-owned and operated farms comprise a small percentage of cotton production in the U.S., with women-owned and operated farms accounting for only about 3% (source: Census of Agriculture, USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service).

Read more

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret

Victoria’s Secret & Co. (NYSE: VSCO) is a specialty retailer of modern, fashion-inspired collections including signature bras, panties, lingerie, casual sleepwear, athleisure and swim, as well as award-winning prestige fragrances and body care. VS&Co is comprised of market leading brands, Victoria’s Secret and Victoria’s Secret PINK, that share a common purpose of supporting women in all they do, and Adore Me, a technology-led, digital first innovative intimates brand serving women of all sizes and budgets at all phases of life. We are committed to empowering our approximately 30,000 associates across a global footprint of more than 1,370 retail stores in nearly 70 countries. We strive to provide the best products to help women express their confidence, sexiness and power and use our platform to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of women’s experiences.

More from Victoria's Secret