Triptii Dimri has been named the first Indian brand ambassador for Victoria’s Secret, marking a strategic shift for the US label as it sharpens its focus on India — one of its fastest-growing markets.
The announcement, made on April 9, places Dimri at the centre of the brand’s new “Summer Signature” campaign, positioning her as a key face in its evolving identity both within India and globally. While Indian-origin models have walked Victoria’s Secret runways in the past, this is the first time an Indian celebrity has been formally appointed as a brand ambassador.
The move comes at a time when the premium lingerie and athleisure segment in India is seeing rising competition, with both global and homegrown brands vying for a younger, fashion-conscious consumer base.
From global glamour to local relevance
Victoria’s Secret’s India journey has been recent but deliberate. The brand entered the market digitally in November 2021 before opening its first flagship store in Mumbai in September 2022. Since then, it has been expanding across metros, building an omnichannel presence that blends online and offline retail.
Dimri’s appointment appears to signal a shift in strategy — from a largely aspirational global image to one that speaks more directly to local consumers. As Abhishek Bajpai reportedly said in a news report, India remains a high-growth and strategically important market, with evolving preferences centred around comfort, individuality and confidence.
The campaign she leads reflects that shift. The “Summer Signature” and “Cool Air” collections focus on relaxed, comfort-first designs, moving away from the brand’s earlier emphasis on high-glamour aesthetics.
For Apparel Group, which operates Victoria’s Secret stores in India, the focus is increasingly on building deeper cultural relevance rather than just expanding store count. The group runs over 300 stores across 50 cities in India and more than 2,500 stores globally, giving it the scale to localise international brands effectively.
A wider shift in representation
Dimri’s appointment also reflects a broader shift in global fashion. While South Asian representation has grown in recent years, particularly on runways and in beauty campaigns, ambassador roles at legacy Western brands have remained limited.
Her role, therefore, sits at the intersection of business and culture — signalling not just market expansion, but a recalibration of how global brands engage with emerging audiences.
Speaking about the partnership, Dimri described it as a personal milestone, reportedly saying the brand’s evolving definition of beauty — centred on authenticity and self-expression — resonated with her.
For Victoria’s Secret, which has been repositioning itself globally around inclusivity and comfort, India offers both scale and complexity. The challenge now lies in balancing its legacy identity with the expectations of a market that increasingly values functionality alongside aspiration.
The early signs suggest the brand is leaning into that balance — with a local face, a softer aesthetic, and a clearer bet on where its next phase of growth could come from.
