The Official Victoria's Secret Thread

[Clauds]

His work is a crime on its own tho  

[bryan]

"“Comigo aconteceu dentro da própria Victoria’s Secret. Estávamos numa festa em St. Barth, Caribe, depois de um ensaio de moda praia. Um dos fotógrafos veio me abraçar, achei que estava bêbado. Na sequência, me pegou mais forte e tentou me beijar. Empurrei-o na mesma hora.” O fotógrafo em questão, o francês David Bellemere, continuou trabalhando para a marca. Lais, entretanto, foi categórica ao dizer que não fotografaria mais com ele. “Perdi muito trabalho por causa disso”, dispara. “Depois, as modelos mais novas começaram a me procurar para contar outros absurdos sobre o David. Tecia comentários machistas durante as fotos, falava do peito, da bunda. Foi a gota d’água. Era uma veterana lá dentro e elas buscavam sempre apoio em mim. Relatei o ocorrido na mesma hora”, conta. Bellemere foi afastado definitivamente da grife em fevereiro." Depois do episódio, outros grandes nomes da moda, como Mario Testino e Bruce Weber, também foram denunciados."

 

With me it happened inside Victoria's Secret. We were at a party in St Barth after a rehearsal for the fashion beachwear (Swim Special). One of the photographers came to hug me and he was drunk. He picked me up in the moment and tried to kiss me. I pushed him away at the same time. The photographer, frenchman, David Bellemere, continued working for the brand. Lais, however was adamant in saying she would not shoot with him again. "I lost a lot of work because of that" she says. Then the newest models began coming to me to tell me about the absurdities of David. The sexist comments  he made during shoots, he talked about breasts and buttocks. It was the last straw. I was a veteran with the brand so they always came to me for support. I reported the incident at the same time. Bellemere was let go from the label in February. After this episode, other big names in the fashion industry were also reported.

 

According to the article, David continued working for the brand. So Lais never reported the incident until others spoke about their abuse. The swim special was in 2015, so bellemere shot a couple of more times the following year. Which meant Lais had to work with him since she shot with him 3-4 times in 2016 within VS and then she had that Lui Magazine shoot that same year. The last shoot bellemere did was with Jasmine for the fantasy bra then we never saw him working with VS anymore. It also reports that he was let go in Feb which means if he had a contract with VS as models do it was not renewed?

 

 

*EDIT*

 

As for the photographers list on that tumblr site. I had the opportunity to assist one of the photographers listed there...when he needed help. If you follow my personal ig account then u know who it is because I posted bts that day. I don't want to name him. Anyway, we met up one day before the shoot to talk and he asked me about my favorite photographers...when I mentioned David Bellemere he laughed and he began telling me about him. He told me he would use girls but he would never send them the photos. He told me a lot of girls would complain about him... 

Edited May 30, 2018 by bryan

[Sanni]

To me the Marie Claire magazine’s account of the timeline doesn’t come across as totally reliable. The Boston Globe article was published in February 2018. According to The Boston Globe, VS cut ties with Bellemere in the fall of 2016.

 

Thank you for confirming that Lais didn’t report Bellemere until other models had approached her about his inappropriate behaviour.

 

Something shady definitely went down based on the swim special. Lais and Kate G. had close to zero screentime yet Lais is still here. I wonder if VS considered kicking her out due to her refusal to work with their esteemed photographer.

[GlitterAndWings]

Just now, Sanni said:

To me the Marie Claire magazine’s account of the timeline doesn’t come across as totally reliable. The Boston Globe article was published in February 2018. According to The Boston Globe, VS cut ties with Bellemere in the fall of 2016.

 

Thank you for clarifying that Lais didn’t report Bellemere until other models had approached her about his inappropriate behaviour.

 

Something shady definitely went down based on the swim special. Lais and Kate G. had close to zero screentime yet Lais is still here. I wonder if VS considered kicking her out due to her refusal to work with their esteemed photographer.

 

Didn't Lais get a two year extension last year? For some reason, I think it was some sort of apology for what happened with him. Didn't he shoot the 2017 Valentine's Day campaign with them? If I'm not mistaken, that's shot by the end of the year? So it would make sense for it to have been his last work for them.

 

Kate G wasn't even in St Barths for the Swim Special, if I remember correctly, Vita, on the other hand, was there... 

[Sanni]

Thank you! I wondered if it was her but didn’t get a good look at her because she was basically just on the side-lines during the artists’ performances.

 

I’m curious to know how Lais was able to refuse to work with Bellemere without reporting his behaviour to VS at first. Maybe someone at VS realized that VS would have a major lawsuit on their hands if they didn’t renew her contract, so she started to get treated better by the company.

 

It’d be even more ironic if Taylor didn’t report Bellemere to VS but instead went to Lais for support and advice on how to handle him and then Lais reported him.

[Sanni]

1 hour ago, bryan said:

 

As for the photographers list on that tumblr site. I had the opportunity to assist one of the photographers listed there...when he needed help. If you follow my personal ig account then u know who it is because I posted bts that day. I don't want to name him. Anyway, we met up one day before the shoot to talk and he asked me about my favorite photographers...when I mentioned David Bellemere he laughed and he began telling me about him. He told me he would use girls but he would never send them the photos. He told me a lot of girls would complain about him...  

 

Interesting! Would girls go to him with the assumption that it would be “Time for Prints” work but ended up working for him for completely free?

 

Based on the NUDE documentary, I did wonder whether all the models knew what kind of images he wanted to shoot. It’s not even Lui kind of pictures, it’s bondage and spread vaginas.

[Fuka]

In any business when you refuse to work with someone you have to give explanations. I am convinced that from the moment Lais refused to work with Bellemere she gave the explanation to VS.

[Clauds]

I think Lais may have stopped working with him leading to her missing some VS shoots and other things but she probably didn't report it, but once the newer girls (like probably Taylor) told her their own stories she went to them and probably that's when VS decided to cut ties with him. However, I do find disgusting that VS, such a large company that has a dozen people on set any given time and fill their mouths saying they work with the best only, saw this kind of shitty behavior happen during whatever shoots and let it pass until Lais and the girls decided to put their foot down. 

 

It would be nice to have an accurate timeframe of events tho, from the last Swim special shoot until Bellemere's last photoshoot. I do hope this story gets the attention it needs in the US, VS is needs to apologize to Lais and everyone else tbh.

[Clauds]

1 minute ago, Fuka said:

In any business when you refuse to work with someone you have to give explanations. I am convinced that from the moment Lais refused to work with Bellemere she gave the explanation to VS.

 

Not necessarily, she could have just turned down those photoshoots and say she had other jobs on those days or whatever. Or simply say she doesn't like him without going into specifics

[Fuka]

3 minutes ago, Clauds said:

 

Not necessarily, she could have just turned down those photoshoots and say she had other jobs on those days or whatever. Or simply say she doesn't like him without going into specifics

I think that at first he was protected by the staff who played down the matter and that it was the accumulation that made things change.

[almanaotemcor]

I think the only way that this goes viral in USA and the rest of the world is for the girls or the agencies to make a judicial complaint against Bellemere. I thought that after Taylor's this could bring him big problems within the industry but apparently the clients only disassociate themselves from these guys when there are police issues involved in order not to be affected. It's a shame but fuck, is the reality of this industry in fashion and I can not imagine how many guys like Bellemere are still working for this reason.

[toodarnhot]

What surprises me is that no American publications have picked up the story as a follow up to the February news.  

 

[ticktock]

8 hours ago, Clauds said:

So pretty much every photographer except Russell James and Guy Aroch? No wonder why all the models under the sun seem to really like then

 

Edit: Ben Watts is also not on the list, thank god.

 

I was going to mention Ben Watts but I didn't want to jinx it. If he's ever mentioned or anything, I'll be really sad. 

[Sanni]

I have much respect for Lais if she turned down the cover of Vogue Spain shot by Bellemere (May 2016 issue)

 

[almanaotemcor]

I had talked about this earlier because of what happened with Taylor; possibly they are just suggestions from me, but shit, it makes me sick to see Bellemere so close to this girl that just a couple of months ago she turned 17 ... Before everything exploded in February, I followed Bellemere on instagram and I realized how close he got with this particular model. (He has a certain hobby for commenting on all the photos of this girl / doing a lot of photo sessions / going out to parties together, etc.) I think she was even at her birthday party last year but what I want to get to is that I do not think the treatment that has been given since then is normal; I do not currently have captures or the stories uploaded of them together but what  I have seen has made me feel uncomfortable about it.

 

[Clauds]

40 minutes ago, Sanni said:

I have much respect for Lais if she turned down the cover of Vogue Spain shot by Bellemere (May 2016 issue)

 

 

 

It's very likely she did tbh. IIRC that was also one of the last VS-Bellemere collabs

[toodarnhot]

Wasn’t that shot shortly after the swim special too? Maybe I’m misremembering. 

[toodarnhot]

Wasn’t that shot shortly after the swim special too? Maybe I’m misremembering. 

[toodarnhot]

Wasn’t that shot shortly after the swim special too? Maybe I’m misremembering. 

[GlitterAndWings]

Hmm, I think it was taken around that time? Jo was already an Angel when that shoot came out, but she wasn't invited to be in it.