Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks made history when she walked in her first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in the mid-'90s.
"First is lonely. But first is necessary," she wrote on Instagram in 2021. "First is crucial so that a door can be opened for others to fit through. Within a 10 year span starting in 1995, I was the first Black @VictoriasSecret contract model ever. The first Black Victoria’s Secret Cover model. The first Black VS model to do so many other groundbreaking things with the brand - as well as other brands."
And Tyra continued to advocate for change within the industry. "But after a first, must come a flow of more," she continued. "A flow of different. A flow of unique. A flow so strong, a flow of so many that we LOSE COUNT."
After retiring from the runway in 2005, Tyra pursued other career paths, including acting; hosting TV shows like America's Next Top Model, The Tyra Banks Show and Dancing With the Stars; and launching her ice cream brand. The Life-Size actress—who is also mom to son York Banks Asla from her former relationship with photographer Erik Asla—returned to the VS stage in 2024 to close out the show.
Gisele Bündchen
In 2000, Gisele Bündchen signed a five-year contract with Victoria’s Secret reportedly worth $25 million. However, she remembers wondering if it was the right move as the brand wasn’t yet as big as it became, and there wasn’t a lot of crossover between runway and catalog jobs for models.
"I was like, 'I don’t know how much I’m going to last here,'" Gisele recalled to British Vogue in 2023. "I’ve been in the business since I was 14. I saw so many girls that were working and the next day you never saw them again. So I was like, 'You know what? They’re paying me great. They’re paying me more money than I could ever imagine. So, I think I’m going to say yes to it, but I have to take the risk.'"
The risk paid off, and the Brazilian model stayed with the brand until 2007.
"When I started I was 19," she told Refinery 29 in 2018. "When I got to 27, I kind of felt like there were other things I wanted to do. It was 80 percent of my income when I decided to not re-sign with them."
Gisele retired from the runway in 2015 to focus on her children with now-ex-husband Tom Brady. However, she’s continued to model, release books like Lessons and Nourish and welcome a baby in early 2025 with boyfriend Joaquim Valente.
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum first hit the Victoria’s Secret catwalk in 1997.
"It changed my career a lot doing the Victoria Secret show because so many people watch it," the German runway star said in a 2008 video for CBS. "People all over the place all of a sudden would know who I am, and it made me kind of a household name."
After 13 years with the brand, Heidi said auf wiedersehen to her Angel wings in 2010. She continued to model, reign as the Queen of Halloween and appear on TV series, including hosting Project Runway and serving as a judge on America’s Got Talent. Her daughter Leni and son Henry—two of her four kids with ex-husband Seal—have also followed in her famous footsteps by making their modeling debuts.
While Heidi—now married to guitarist Tom Kaulitz—has spoken highly about her experience with Victoria’s Secret, she’s also expressed her support for changes the company has made in recent years, including having more diverse and inclusive representation on the runway.
"Looking at this now, I’m like, 'About time, good,'" Heidi said on The Project in 2021. "Because things do need to change and they have been changing and it’s been taking too long."
Adriana Lima
Before she was an Angel, Adriana Lima wanted to be a nun.
"My school years were in Catholic school, so I just had [that] in mind," she told Harry Connick Jr. in 2017. "I was very shy. I’m like, 'I don’t see myself having a boyfriend.' Not even talking to boys—I was that shy. So, I thought of that. I was like, 'This is what it’s going to be.'"
But Adriana walked in her first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 1999 and that became her habit, as she continued to strut down its runways until 2018.
“I’ve been in Victoria’s Secret since 1999. I was a baby,” the Brazilian model—who shares two daughters with her ex-husband, former basketball player Marko Jaric, as well as a son with her film producer husband Andre Lemmers—told E! News in 2023. “So I went through the teenager years, to the younger woman, to now I’m a mom. Throughout all of these changes in my life, I feel celebrated and I’m so happy to be here. As a mother and a woman, to see that you have that space in fashion for me, it’s quite supporting and uplifting.”
Adriana returned to the Victoria’s Secret catwalk in 2024 and is set to appear in the 2025 show.
Alessandra Ambrosio
Alessandra Ambrosio made her Victoria’s Secret runway debut in 2000.
After continuing to appear in the show for the next few years, the Brazilian model became the face of Victoria’s Secret’s Pink line in 2004.
“We started shooting for Pink, and we shot for three years in a row,” Alessandra recalled in a 2022 video for Glamour. "That’s when they recruited me to be an Angel. That’s when they gave me my first contract."
Alessandra continued to model in every Victoria’s Secret runway show until her retirement in 2017. The mom of two—who shares her kids with ex Jamie Mazur—then returned to the VS stage in 2024, and she’ll appear in the show for her 19th time in 2025
Miranda Kerr
Miranda Kerr graced the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show stage for the first time in 2006 and became the first Australian to sign as an Angel the following year.
Six years later, she stepped back from the VS runway to focus on her son Flynn with ex-husband Orlando Bloom and pursue other career opportunities.
"This is a natural evolution,” she told The Sunday Morning Herald at the time. "'The thing is, I've been modeling since I was 13. I'm now entering a new phase in my life. I have felt this coming since my son was born and, after I became a mother, I realized I needed to prioritize my time."
As Miranda grew both her businesses (including her skincare brand Kora Organics) and her family—welcoming sons Hart, Myles and Pierre with her second husband, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel—she noted she didn't have the desire to return to the VS stage.
"They were some of the best modeling moments that I had, and I had so many great memories working with the VS team and the other models and we had a lot of fun," she said on the Not Alone podcast in 2024. "But I just felt like, personally, I wasn’t wanting to go back there because I feel like I’m a mom of four boys now. My life is just in a completely different direction.”
Lily Aldridge
Lily Aldridge will never forget her first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2009
"It was one of those ‘pinch-me’ moments," she recalled to the brand in 2025. “I remember saying to people my legs felt like Jell-O and cement at the same time. I’m not sure how I made it down the runway, but I did! And it’s the best feeling.”
Lily went on to get her Angel wings in 2010 and continued to rock the VS runway until 2016 (though she’s continued to work with the brand over the years).
While Lily has stayed plenty busy modeling and raising her two kids Dixie and Winston with her musician husband Caleb Followill, she announced in 2025 that she was returning to the VS catwalk for the first time in nine years.