The always elegant environmentalist, feminist, and super family-first, global citizen role model Doutzen Kroes continues her long-term association with Netherlands-based lingerie Brand Hunkemoller.

The non-bombshell mood of her deeply-sensual images strikes a chord, as a question mark about Doutzen’s abrupt departure — along with Karlie Kloss’ — as Victoria’s Secret Angels comes under reconsideration.

Doutzen Kroes Abrupt Departure from Victoria’s Secret in 2015

Doutzen, Karlie, Candice — the top Victoria’s Secret Angels know if they really were ‘Angels’ in Hell, working in a culture of misogyny, as the New York Times suggests. Frankly, the earlier Miranda Kerr departure also warrants reconsideration.

Knowing the brand inside inside-out as its former fashion director and head of product development, I always assumed that Doutzen and Karlie Kloss abruptly left the brand over brand-positioning issues. Karlie has called the brand anti-feminist and actually so has Doutzen.

After reading Sunday’s New York Times expose ‘Angels’ in Hell: The Culture of Misogyny Inside Victoria’s Secret’, I see that conditions for the models — led by then CMO Ed Razek with apparent support from Chairman Les Wexner — and a major assist from Jeffrey Epstein — created a degrading work culture for the Victoria’s Secret models.

If I wasn’t so involved in the 2020 Presidential election, I would launch a petition to have the VS Angels released from their NDAs to discuss the facts of life at Victoria’s Secret. Actually, I will reach out to the Models Alliance and ask them to launch such a drive.

The VS story can’t be told from models quoted by the NYT who aren’t successful. Yes, the NYT did review emails to one model from Ed Razek. I had never heard of her, and there’s no story of any success in fashion at all around her.

She cannot argue that her lack of success at VS was only a reflection of her spurning Ed Razek, without a portfolio of work for other top brands. I can’t find it, if this portfolio exists. She can argue that Ed Razek was a total sleeze, based on the emails reviewed by the NYT.

Women like Doutzen Kroes, Karlie Kloss, Candice Swanepoel and many more know what exactly happened at VS, after people like myself left the business over its branding issues with women.

While I knew Jeffrey Epstein and of course, Ed Razek, this was not the culture I worked in. My fears were always about what this growing Boys Club would do to the Victoria’s Secret relationship with our loyal customers. I did not anticipate that the most famous models in the world would live as ‘Angels’ in Hell.

Given the stature and influence of the Victoria’s Secret brand, the facts around this egregious issue must be revealed. I will reach out to the Models Alliance to confer with them on how action can be taken to get to the truth. Fear cannot be our guide in these Trumpian times in America. Oh yes, the crotch-grabbing Trump was also with Epstein at the VS Fashion Show.

Understand also that the VS Angels were commanding multi-million dollar salaries a decade ago. When Doutzen Kroes walked, I said to myself that she had to be taking a big financial hit. But Kroes and Kloss both have always struck me as women of great principle. It may be that there made decisions similar to mine.

Even though the Boys Club continues to run our lives, there will always be women who can’t be bought. There may be a string of VS Angels who deserve that highest respect and honor. ~ Anne