Victoria’s Secret & Co. Is Revolutionizing the Cotton Supply Chain and Supporting the Economic Success of Women Farmers in the US

Victoria's Secret

Tue, Nov 19, 2024, 9:00 AM 1 min read

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).