You’ve been bombarded by their ads, DVR’ed the annual fashion show (but just so you could watch Taylor!), and— whether for yourself or someone else—have probably procured a pair of neon panties there. But how much do you really know about the lingerie giant?
维秘的广告、年度时装秀DVR已经铺天盖地(但你终于可以看泰勒了!)——不管是为自己,或是其他人——你都很可能购买一套维秘的性感内衣。但是你对维秘这样的内衣巨头真正了解多少呢?

1. Its founder wanted to make the lingerie-buying experience less...creepy.
1. 创始人想让购买者的消费体验更加舒适

Founder Roy Raymond was inspired to open up his own shop after an awkward department store experience. “When I tried to buy lingerie for my wife, I was faced with racks of terry-cloth robes and ugly floral-print nylon nightgowns,” he explained. “I always had the feeling the department-store saleswomen thought I was an unwelcome intruder.” The very first Victoria’s Secret, devoted solely to selling lingerie in a more upscale (and male-friendly) atmosphere, opened in Palo Alto in 1977.
创始人罗伊·雷蒙德之所以决定开一家自己的店,是因为他在百货商店的一次尴尬经历。“那时我在帮我的妻子买内衣,面对着满眼的浴巾浴袍和丑陋的印花尼龙睡袍,”他说。“我总有一种不被女店员欢迎的感觉。”维秘第一家店于1977年在帕洛阿尔托开张,致力于在更高档的环境中出售内衣(而且对男性更友好)。

2. There was no "Victoria"
2. “维多利亚”这个人并不存在

Raymond picked the moniker because he felt it complemented the store’s chic, English-inspired interior, “replete with dark wood, oriental rugs, and silk drapery,” Slate’s Naomi Barr writes. “Outwardly refined, Victoria’s ‘secrets’ were hidden beneath.” Raymond and his wife, Gaye, would go on to open five more stores and launch a successful mail-order catalogue.

雷蒙德之所以选择这样一个名称,是因为他觉得这个词和维秘新潮、英式的内部装修很搭,“黒木面板、东方式地毯以及丝绸窗帘,”Slate的娜奥米·巴尔写道。“除了外在的精致,维多利亚的”秘密“更是不为人知的。”雷蒙德和他的妻子盖伊将陆续再投资新开五家维秘商店,并发布一系列新的网购产品目录。

3. It had a fake headquarters.
3. 维秘总部不在英国伦敦

In keeping with its upscale, British-influenced image, the company used to list its address on catalogues as "no. 10 Margaret Street, London"—even though the company was actually headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
为了坚持高端品质以及英伦形象的理念,维秘曾经在产品目录上标注出公司总部地点“伦敦玛格丽特街道10号”——而实际地理位置是在俄亥俄州哥伦布市。

4. Its current owner is a business legend.
4. 维秘现任总裁是一个商业创奇

The chain was purchased for $1 million in 1982 by Leslie “Les” Wexner. A self-made, media-shy midwesterner, Wexner revolutionized the retail industry when he founded The Limited on the premise that stores built around just a couple of small-ticket items—in this case, basic shirts and pants—could make money. (Lots of it.) Wexner has since sold The Limited (and its little sister spinoff, Express), but his L Brands—the parent company of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, among others—raked in $11.45 billion last year. Wexner himself is worth more than $7 billion, making him the richest person in Ohio. (Sorry LeBron.)
1982年,莱斯利·温斯特花了一百万购买了这家连锁店。他来自美国中西部,白手起家,很少在媒体面前露面。温斯特改革了零售行业。他创建The Limited时,连锁店经营的产品种类很少——主要是一些衬衫和背心——但收益很可观的。尽管后来他卖掉了The Limited(以及它的附属产品,Express),但是他的L品牌——维秘和美体用品的母公司,去年销售量达114,500,000美金。温斯特身价达七十亿美金,是俄亥俄州最富有的人。

5. It dominates the market...
5. 它能主宰市场...

No other lingerie brand even comes close to its success: Victoria's Secret is responsible for 40 percent of all intimate apparel sales, according to Business Insider, and operates 1060 stores in the U.S. alone.
没有其它的内衣品牌能有维秘那么成功:据Business Insider透露,维秘占据了业内销售量的40%,在美国就有1060家商店。

6. It charges more for bigger sizes.
6. 大码商品价位更高

Its most recent scandal has nothing to do with tone-deaf ad campaigns or retouched photos. This summer, the company came under fire after one fashion editor noticed that shoppers with larger cup sizes pay up to $4 more for their bras than women who fit into sizes A-D.
维秘最近的负面新闻不再是无厘头的广告活动或是PS过的照片。今年夏天,一位时尚编辑爆料维秘商店的大码胸衣会比小码胸衣高出4美元,因此维秘公司遭到了社会舆论的各种抨击质疑。

7. There are Victoria's Secret Angel from evey continent...
7. 每个洲都有一个维密天使

… Except Antarctica.
...除了南极洲。

声明:本双语文章的中文翻译系沪江英语原创内容,转载请注明出处。中文翻译仅代表译者个人观点,仅供参考。如有不妥之处,欢迎指正。