Sex and sensuality were big themes on the spring 2026 runways, but if there’s one place where sexy is a mode of being rather than merely a trend it’s Victoria’s Secret. The lingerie behemoth returns this year with its famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, this time with the American designer Adam Selman as its Executive Creative Director. Selman has decades of experience under his belt, but is perhaps best known for his work at Savage X Fenty, the lingerie brand founded by Rihanna, whom he has also often dressed, most memorably in 2014, when she accepted the CFDA’s Fashion Icon Award in a floor-length sheer tank dress embellished with Swarovski crystals of his design.
Selman joins Nicole Phelps on The Run-Through this week to talk about his career trajectory, and the challenges of heading up an independent label—even one worn by one of the biggest stars in the world. “[When Rihanna wore my dress at the CFDAs] it was such a huge moment for me,” Selman recalls. “I was so poor, pouring everything into my brand, doing everything possible to keep it alive.” That night “my name was splashed everywhere across the world, and it was a surreal moment. And then the next morning I had a 5:30am call time to be a tailor on a Nike job because I had to pay my bill, and I had to keep my business going. That was what I was doing at the time to keep the lights on and to pay the people that were helping me make it happen.”
On the new episode, Selman also reveals his plans to modernize the Victoria’s Secret brand while keeping its roots. How exactly will the angels, the wings, the va-va-voom hair, and his vision of contemporary sex-appeal all come together? “Obviously I’m very inclusive. That’s part of my past and my history that I’m gonna bring forward,” he explains. “But it has to be authentic, right? I think people are sick of seeing brands sort of tick boxes. I think it has to be authentic, it has to be right—the right product for the right size… lingerie is illusion and solution.” You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out how his ideas shape up on the runway, but in the meantime, listen to Adam Selman on The Run-Through below.