Adam Selman On His New Victoria’s Secret—“Everything’s a Fantasy”

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0:17This is The Run-Through. I'm Nicole Phelps. Today, I'm joined by Adam Selman, the newly appointed Senior VP and Creative Director of Victoria's Secret. Adam ran his own eponymous brand, worked as costume designer for stars from Britney Spears to Lady Gaga, and famously collaborated very closely with Rihanna on everything from her tour outfits and red carpet looks to her savage Fenty line. Tomorrow is Adam's first Victoria's Secret fashion show. He dropped by the studio to share with us his vision for the brand, why this role is a dream come true for him, and of course, a few Rihanna stories.

0:56Adam Salman, congratulations on your new role at Victoria's Secret. Thank you so much. It's a dream come true. Thank you for joining us on the run through. This episode is going live a day before your first ever Victoria's Secret fashion show. So there's a lot to talk about. No pressure. The emotions are high. Tell us what it was like stepping into this role. To be completely honest, I think like stepping into this, it was so unexpected, actually. Like I never really like saw myself doing this, but it's actually such a joy and it makes so much sense if like, I mean, you know, my career pretty well.

1:35Well, tell the listeners, please. Oh, about my career? Yes. Well, I started as a handyman, which is like the funny part. But then I was a pattern maker and then I was a costume designer. I worked for someone named Zaldi for 10 years. Love him in the Chelsea Hotel. So we go way back. and Zaldi actually did the costumes for the show last year. And then I broke off from Zaldi. I did world tours with Zaldi over Michael Jackson and Britney Spears and we did RuPaul at the beginning of the show. So I mean, incredible history there. And then I branched off and I started working with Rihanna and I started with her world tours.

2:14So I built all of her world tours with her since only rural in the world. So I did that and then I started my own brand, Adam Selman. and then I switched that into Adam Selman Sport. And then after that, I went to Savage X Fenty and was chief design officer there. And then now I am at Victoria's Secret. So, I mean, it's perfect training. So why didn't you expect something like this? Or why is it a surprise to yourself that you've landed here? It's just so, like, I guess I just never saw it, you know? And maybe it was right in front of me the whole time, but, like, I just never saw it. So whenever the opportunity came to me, I was like, wait, yes, this makes all the sense in the world.

2:53So I seize the opportunity. So going back to your Texas upbringing, I mean, what are your, I have my own memories of Victoria's Secret. What, what are yours? Um, you know, I was raised in a quite a religious household, right? And, um, and so we weren't really like at the mall. And if we were at the mall, you know, it's like, do not look in that direction growing up. And so then it really was more when I was like 16, 17 with like my girlfriends at the mall. And then I really remember like that, the panty table with like the, the kind of washed floral and like that waistband that would peek out of like my girlfriend's jeans.

3:32So it really started with my girlfriends in high school more so than like my family or my mom or, you know, things like that. So, but I love that Victoria's Secret is so unique and that everybody has like a particular memory, like that panty table or, you know, with their mom or their sister or their friends. So I love that. I spent a lot of my first paychecks. I was a dishwasher at an old folks home and I spent a lot of my first paychecks at Victoria's Secret. That's incredible. What were you buying? I liked the like the satin pajama sets. And I mean, that was my, you know, sort of lingerie store for, I mean, throughout high school and college, I would say.

4:13I love that. Do many people know that you started as a dishwasher? There's just like a breaking news here. It was a very good paying job in late 1980s Connecticut, actually. I love that. I actually worked in a cafeteria and I was the trash boy in like a college during the summer camp. So maybe one step below you, but we've both come a long way. So as you said earlier, you worked with Zaldi at the beginning. What did you learn from Zaldi? I started as an intern at Zaldi's, and there were three of us. And then he was doing his fashion line at the time, and we never produced anything for Zaldi's.

4:56Like, it was all one-offs. And so I started off making one of everything. And he has such an impeccable eye and for proportion, right? Because I think, like, given his history with drag and club kid culture, like, he just has that. and razzmatazz and but he did it and he elevated it he told me he was like adam i really really like you i would love for you to work more but like you have to be better and he sat me down he was really direct and he was a he was a kind you know um direct person and i really took a lot from that and like building my sort of like family around myself and like kind of being kind but also being direct, trying to hone that in.

5:40I took that from him. And then also, whenever he told me that I had to be better, I sat down for six months. I wasn't going out. I was super young, and I just sewed every single night. I honed my skill. I was like, and pattern make, I was like, I made this, I made this, here's a sample, here's this. And by the end of it, I really felt like I had already knew how to sew, but like I did, I wasn't perfect at it. And, and then from there I was able to like work and now I can kind of make anything because I took that time to really like do it, do it again, make it better, make it better. And it was a good crash course for me.

6:17I took a seamstress class at FIT when I moved to New York for a minute, I thought I was going to be, I was going to, going to do it. And I might've told this story on the podcast before, but the second I had to do like a trouser pocket. No, this is not for me. It requires an incredible sort of perfection to be, to sew. Oh, yeah. It's an immense skill and pattern making is, you know, it's all math. And so it's, yeah. What prepped you for that? I mean, how young were you when you knew you wanted to pursue this? My mom taught me how to sew when I was 12. I wanted a vest. And so she was like, let's make you a vest.

7:04And so like, so she taught me how to sew at an early age. And then I was also in theater. And so then I was like, let me costume design for that, you know. So I think it was always sort of intrinsic, you know, to my wanting to do it. But then I wanted to go to school to be a sculpture, you know, major. And then my parents were like, you have to have some sort of business. And I was like, I'll do fashion instead. So then I think that was like sort of like the next natural progression. And you put that to work for a long time for Rihanna, right? Obviously, we all would love to hear some anecdotes about Rihanna.

7:41What was it like working with her as closely as you did? I mean, I can't say enough good things about her. She's incredible. She's, you know, an incredible supporter of mine. And the first thing that I made was, so Mel Ottenberg had made a panty. And like I made a panty and he used it in a Purple Magazine shoot. And then part of that shoot was what got him the job to style with Rihanna. and then so then whenever we started it was like can I make this panty for Rihanna and then he's like okay sure and then next thing you know like I'm like traveling around the world with her and she was incredible because it was Mel and I had this idea to like take her street style and translate it for stage and at the time like brands weren't making clothes for celebrities like in the way that they are now right it was more like red carpet or or this but like it wasn't as like like hey we'll make things for stage so then i was hired to sort of be like okay we're doing a music video show up with a rack of clothes you know and like here's the brief but then i would just sort of like make extra things and show up and it was uncanny because she would like walk up to it and like pick this thing off the rack like in the we found love video like she like in the middle of like a trailer in the middle of ireland she like walked up and like plucked this t-shirt.

9:02I was like, oh, I had like patched it together from like old t-shirts. She's like, I love this. I'm going to wear this. And she did it almost every single time. So it was almost like we had this like underlying shorthand, like from when we first started working together. And then it just kind of kept growing. And then she's like, hey, can you help me on this? Hey, can you help me on this? And so it just kept going. And, you know, it's just been an amazing collaboration. You are the man behind that iconic Swarovski crystal dress, the very skin-bearing, revealing dress that she wore, I think, when she got her fashion icon award from the CFDA.

9:38Yeah. Talk about being in that moment and sort of the ripple effect of those photographs going around the world. I told this story the other day, you know, because it was such a giant moment, and I wanted it, you know, like, um, I'm a very ambitious person. And so it was like, whenever, you know, it was like, Hey, she's getting this style icon award. I felt like I was like, she has to wear me. Like she has to wear me. And I was like, how am I going to convince her to wear me? Right. Because there's a lot of other people lining up to do, to do it. Exactly. And so I was like, and then, so I had this idea and then made samples, made thing, and she was gracious enough to like go with me along the way.

10:16And then at the end she did choose it. And it was such a huge moment for me um i was so poor i was pouring everything into my brand i was like doing you know everything possible to keep it alive and and do that so then like um that happened that night my name is splashed everywhere you know like across the world i'm on the on the cover of every single you know newspaper around the world and it was a surreal moment and then i had a 5 30 a.m call time to be a tailor on a Nike job that next morning because I had to pay my bills and because I had to keep my business going. And that was something I was doing at the time to keep, you know, the lights on and to pay my people that were like helping me make it happen.

10:59But it was just like, it's such a, you know, the duality of everyone thinks you're having this like moment and you're on the top. And I was like, it was like incredible. And I'm like sitting there sewing, you know, altering, you know, leggings and bras and stuff. And then, and like also getting like tons of alerts and like, congratulations, congratulations. But I'm like toiling away like at like a sewing machine, like tailoring for Nike. So pretty surreal. Okay, we're going to take a quick break.

11:39Hi, I'm Rebecca Ford, senior awards correspondent at Vanity Fair and co-host of Little Gold Men. Oscar season is upon us. Little Gold Men takes you behind the scenes of the race for the biggest prize in Hollywood. There's a hundred wrestlers in the room, but only one can be Oscar nominated. Whether you're a movie lover or an industry buff, Little Gold Men from Vanity Fair has everything you need to know about this year's Oscar race. Follow and listen to Little Gold Men wherever you get your podcasts.

12:17So Victoria's Secret fashion show has gone through a great metamorphosis since the late 2010s. and it was back for the first time after many years last year. This is your first time. What should we expect from you tomorrow? So if you know my career, I think you'll see a certain playfulness, definitely like a lot of joy. I definitely wanted to elevate it as well. And I think I went into this really wanting to tell stories, right? Like at the end of the day, I think like over my career, I feel like that's an important thing to me is to try to tell stories. And I had this deep passion of, like, really wanting to make the audience, like, feel something.

12:57And I think that the show is so big. It's so big. It's so powerful. Everyone wants it to be something, you know, and I can't be everything to everyone, and neither can the brand. But I think to me it's about telling those bigger stories, but you might have to look in the quieter moments to like really see them come to fruition. You know, and I think that you'll probably feel more of a connection as well. Like I know so many of these, you know, like the talent and the models and stuff like that. And so I definitely want to like try to tell their stories and have them help bring it to life, but then also tell new stories and push this forward.

13:35So I'm hoping that that comes across. Well, I guess the story that the show has told, you know, for decades since it became sort of central in the public consciousness is like a fantasy story. Is that the direction we're going in or? Well, you know, everything's a fantasy, right? Like, and it's more about how you contextualize the fantasy. I'm really contextualizing it in showing the idea of day to night. Like the show is set from day to night in different chapters. You know, it starts with morning and it ends at black tie, right? And so, like, it sort of takes us on this journey of day to night and, like, what her day could look like.

14:13And maybe even, like, the memories that she had, right? I think, like, even, like, pink, you know, is maybe more of a memory that she had. And so I really wanted it to tell that story. And I also wanted it to be really fast because we live in this culture of, like, excess and immediacy. So I really wanted it to feel fast. So I'm hoping that that comes to life. But that day to night really grounded the show and gave me permission to tell stories, to also tell product stories, to highlight different fragrances that we carry as well. So each chapter is tied to a fine fragrance, which is sort of built off of the idea of an archetype of the woman who's wearing it.

14:51So trying to tie that into the whole thing. And that's hopefully what's going to go across. So it sounds that might be more fashion-y. you're putting the fashion in the victoria's secret fashion show definitely i i'm approaching this like a house you know like a like a true maison right like we have such a rich history where we've been around for 50 years we innovate we you know we have so so much to offer right and i'm really taking this as like i think as any other designer would do and you know pull from some of the archives without being weighted by it and then you know what does that look like as far as like my stamp and Hillary's stamp, the CEO, like, and, you know, all the people, you know, Anne and Allie and Elizabeth, like the CMO, like, what does this chapter look like for Victoria's Secret?

15:40Recently, the fashion show has come under scrutiny. Is it modern? Is it relevant? Is this how, you know, women should be perceived in the media today? So how do you address those observations and how do you how are you thinking about making it feel modern and relevant and really talk to the young women and older women who are you're targeting as your customers now definitely i think i'm trying to show a range right i think it's like super important for me um it's still a lingerie show like we you know we make lingerie so and i think it's it's more of like an invitation like i think it's maybe you know less about dictating what sexy is or what sexy needs to be or this ideal, but really propelling into an offering.

16:27And hopefully people will see themselves in it. Hopefully people will start to talk about the brand more and really go in and experience it in a new way. I'm a big proponent of making things fun. And I think sometimes whenever a measuring tape comes out or women think about getting like fit for a bra or things like that, like to recontextualize that, that could be a fun experience. Like get your girl, get your gay, get your like husband, get your boyfriend, like whatever it is and make it a good time as opposed to something that's daunting and like find like the right solution because we have experts that can help, you know, women find that.

17:07And like if that helps make their day a little bit better, that is really what the goal is here and like what we're trying to say. Right. One of the things that you were known for at Savage Fenty is that there was a real size inclusivity there. And Victoria's Secret in the past has not necessarily tackled that the way it should have. How are you approaching that issue? Yeah, so I mean, like, obviously I'm very inclusive. Size, you know, like all the above, right? Like that's part of my past, my history that I'm going to bring forward. But it has to be authentic, right? I think people are sick of seeing brands and people tick boxes.

17:46So it has to be authentic. It has to be right. I also think it has to be the right product for the right size. I think with my history with working in size inclusivity, that's the most important thing because I think lingerie is illusion. It's illusion and solution. And so to me, that's the most important thing as opposed to this one thing has to fit everyone. I think finding the right thing for the right people is what works best. Well, you're a fashion watcher, as you say. You had your own brand. It feels that after several years of improvements, the runways have sort of reversed, and size and clivity is not something that your fellow designers seem to be focused on.

18:30Do you have any theories about why that might be? I mean, the system isn't set up for it. When it comes to sampling, it's a very challenging thing to be like, hey, let's put on this runway show. Hey, let's put on this lookbook. And then you have to order it in multiple sizes. And I think it's particularly hard for smaller brands. Like, take it, you know, like, in my brand, in Adam's Allman Sport, like, we went, you know, double extra small through double extra large. And it was a hard thing to be like, you know, we have to order all these samples to then be able to show all the different sizes.

19:05It added an extra cost. And I think that, like, at the end of the day, the business of fashion is a bottom line. And so it's a challenge. And I think that it's probably something that the industry hasn't quite figured out. You know, numbers matter to the business. So the more that people show up to buy it to the brands that are offering it is so, so, so important. So they're going where they're following the dollar is what you're saying. Yeah. Another thing going back to last year, remembering the comeback show is that the brand talked a lot about that it was a women-for-women brand, that everybody behind the scenes is a woman.

19:46And, of course, you are a man. I say I am. So how are you trying to hold on to that sensibility that this is a company that is run by women and it's sort of for women, by women? I mean, I'm sort of trying to do an 80-20 rule, you know, and try to really hire 80 % women, 20 % men. is that a perfect formula? No. But I'm a big believer in women. I think if you look at my history, I'm like, I love powerful women. Women have always inspired me. They have championed me to be in the place now that I'm able to do what I love and be able to do it well because they've been lifting me up for years. And I'm now doing the things that I always thought that I could do and said I could do.

20:32And I think it's mostly in part because of women. So I'm really in like a steward of women more than anything. Too bad the rest of the fashion industry doesn't follow that rule, right? I mean, that's another situation in fashion right now where there's all of these new designers came on the scene for spring 2026, and it was basically 80-20 in the opposite direction. In the opposite direction, correct. Yeah. I mean, luckily, like at Victoria's Secret, like all of my counterparts are women in like the executive, you know, part. So like we have three new presidents because I oversee Victoria's Secret, Pink and Beauty on the creative side.

21:14But, you know, there's women presidents over all that. So I answer to them. You know, there's the new CMO, Elizabeth is a woman. And then she's my boss, you know, and then her boss is Hillary Super, who's like the CEO. So, you know, I think it's having powerful women around me, too, to help guide and shape and make sure that we're all aligned. That's really the story. So let's talk about Victoria's Secret. For many years, the focus was sexy. You know, what is sexy? We're going to show you. What do you think is sexy? And how, if at all, are you sort of reshaping what Victoria's Secret says and thinks is sexy?

21:56I think like whenever I first came in the door, I was really like, what do I want to tackle first? And usually this was like four months ago. So, you know, it's been really fast. And like the day two, they were like, what do you want to do with the show? And then but I was also like, usually I would sort of fact find a little bit. But this was like, I got to do it now. I got to do it fast. And I think the biggest thing is like I wanted to show more joy. I wanted to show more range of emotion, like within the creative, like how we show up to the customer and then also within the show, too, and have that translate a little bit more.

22:31So it's like less idealized version of sexy and more of like a range of what that could be. And I think going back to my roots, it's like playful, joyful, you know, fun. Like I want to see women having fun. And I would certainly hope that as you're putting lingerie on, you're having a good time. One thing I remember reading at the time, you know, to show angel wings or to not show angel wings is that, you know, maybe us fashion critics, you know, poo-pooed angel wings, let's say. But it seems like the customer really wants the angel wings. The customers are dying for it. The viewers want the angel wings.

23:07Why do they want the angel wings? And what do you, you know, broader picture, what does the Victoria's Secret customer want from the brand now? I mean, I think that Angel Wings, like, we can't, like, it's synonymous with the brand at this point. So, like, it's a code of the house, right? So, like, I have to run with that. Also, at the same time, like, if you look all over the fashion shows, like, the ballet, Iris Van Herpen is doing Angel Wings, too. Sarah Jessica Parker is wearing it on the red carpet. You look at the runways and there's, like, Angel Wings coded everywhere, like in the New Mugler.

23:40So it's sort of like in the zeitgeist as well, which we very much want to be there. So it's kind of an amazing place to be. But to me, it's all about recontextualizing, like, the wings. And I think it's more about her journey. I think everybody can wear the wings if they want to wear the wings. And it's more about where do you want those wings to take you? And that's really probably more my job to show different options of where those wings could take you. We've talked a lot about the show. But of course, your job at Victoria's Secret goes way, way beyond the show. Earlier, you mentioned fragrances, which are beauty, which must be a new thing for you.

24:17So talk more broadly about what your mission at the brand is and what you want to achieve. Definitely. So, you know, I think I have a robust roadmap for what I want to tackle next. I think the show is sort of like the big one that we knew needed to happen and around with the holiday offering. offering. But like, you know, the point of the show is I want to play in culture more, right? And so even what you'll see on the runway, I'm hoping that you'll start seeing some of those looks show up in culture around, you know, like could it be in red carpets? Could it be in event dressing, you know, or music videos?

24:53So I want to play more in that ballgame because that's my past and I think I'm good at that game. So I definitely think that's a goal of mine to do that. And then I'm really, you know, thinking a lot about like what the Victoria Secret look is, you know, and that if you close your eyes or you see something out and about, like you almost don't even need to see the codes of the house, you know, or like, what are those codes? So you start to see the silhouette, you start to see those codes show up and it's instantly recognizable. You talk about the codes of the house. I mean, this always happens in the spring fashion shows, but I'm just back from them in Milan in Paris.

25:30And there were a lot of lingerie references. You know, there's also this idea of wrapping your bedclothes around you like your sheets and going out on the town in those. So how does Victoria's Secret sort of define itself or stand apart from all of the other sort of ideas about lingerie dressing that are in the culture right now? Well, I think that's like the joy of it, right? It's like we have that. And I would like to lean more into it and like and part of the show is to be able to show how to lingerie dress right and how the customer can see themselves doing it in their own life but then um i would like to push more into that for the brand in general and be able to offer that because that's such an opportunity you know it's such a such a huge thing for us we could really own that space so so it's something i would definitely want to play more in

26:28we're going to take a quick break Thank you.