Vol. 17 - Julia Ostrovsky, Victoria's Secret

With social playing such a massive part in the success of Victoria's Secret, it was amazing to sit down with one of the team making the brand shine across all platforms.

Meet Julia:

I always love hearing from the brains behind the brands and Julia is a person who knows how to make a brand not just sell, but sing. A creative brain with a razor-sharp commercial instinct, Julia has built her career turning big brand dreams into realities. Her CV includes giants like Victoria’s Secret and URBN, and is quickly establishing herself as not just a marketer, but as someone who truly understands people and acts with their best interests in mind.

Julia has had a hand in some category-defining campaigns such as VS’s adaptive clothing range and has done exceptional work nurturing communities of loving and loyal fans through events, social, product and more. She seems to have a sixth sense for what makes audiences tick (and click) and blends strategy with storytelling, and trend with taste, in a way that makes the brands she touches feel iconic, not just relevant.

Was great to sit down and go through what got her to where she is today! Enjoy.

The Interview:

What drew you to the fashion industry?

So I studied advertising, but have always been creative. I could draw before I could speak English. So when it came to pursuing a career, marketing was the area that gave me the opportunity to merge the strategic with the creative.

But fashion was always a passion. I was actually a campus rep for PINK when I was in college. But my first fashion job out of college was at Urban Outfitters Home Office. Here, I fell in love with the endless opportunity marketing presented in the industry. The trends, the creativity, the innovation. It drew me in and I still love it.

What do you wish you knew before entering the fashion industry?

Obviously we all know fashion is constantly evolving. From a marketing perspective. From a garment perspective. From a consumer perspective. But the sheer pace of it is amazing. I think I wish I had known what was needed in order to stay ahead, stay innovative and stay disruptive while ensuring storytelling stays consistent and high quality. It’s a balancing act.

Best piece of advice you have received?

So, it may have changed but one of the core values at Victoria’s Secret when I started here stands out as being really great advice.

‘Always assume positive intent’

In this world, you are working with so many cross-functional partners, internal teams, and outside influences at such a high pace that it can be easy to lose the intent of the people you are working with. Tensions run high sometimes.

But having that ‘glass half full’ optimistic lens is so helpful in reminding us that we're all here to accomplish the same thing. Having this mindset has gotten me far with people and helped me build a lot of authentic relationships in the space. It’s helped so much I actually use it in my personal life all the time now.

Moment you are most proud of in your career to date?

A couple years ago we launched the adaptive collection, a line of intimates for women that have disabilities, helping to make them feel empowered and a sense of individuality. It was the first intimate line approved by Gamut’s prestigious seal of approval and the first of its kind in the industry.

It was great to have the customers who will actually be impacted by this product involved in every step of the journey including the storytelling and marketing of the products.

I’m particularly proud as sometimes working in fashion you can lose sight of the impact you can have on the consumers lives beyond just the clothes they wear. It is great to know the difference we made by bringing that to market and sharing it with the world. We strive to support and empower all women, not just one kind of woman, which has definitely been a stigma in the past for the brand, and I’m proud to be a small part of evolving that perception.

What’s exciting you about the coming months for VS?

Well, my role just transitioned. I recently got a promotion and so I am now diving into the world of social and get the opportunity to manage our social team and drive our social strategy forward.

Previously, I was supporting overarching brand strategy work but I’m really looking forward to now getting a chance to narrow down and focus with a specific lens on social.

I want to be disruptive. I want to take advantage of the ever evolving trends and create thumb stopping entertainment. But most importantly I am looking forward to bringing the VS brand voice to life across social and bring our product to life across our channels in ways that really connects with our customers.

A book you think all aspiring fashion leaders should read?

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. She’s the author who wrote Eat Pray Love.

As a lifelong artist, Big Magic deeply resonated with me, especially during times when burnout and creative uncertainty crept in. Throughout my evolving career, I’ve struggled to keep my passion and spark alive. This book reignited my belief in the power of curiosity, encouraged me to chase bold ideas, and reminded me that fear—whether rooted in comparison or imposter syndrome—doesn’t have to hold me back.

1x resource you use to stay ahead?

I feel like it's everything. There's not one single resource. I mean, of course, meeting the content where it's at and following aspirational brands which provides a lot of inspiration on how we tackle our approach to social.

I feel very lucky to work at VS where we have a plethora of resources, analytics and insights that are shared with us on a consistent basis. They also encourage us to get out there in the field, attend the conferences and get inspired by the great work that is being done out there. Excited to attend a few more social specific ones now my role has changed.

What’s one skill, or area, you are actively working on to improve? And why is it important to you?

One that’s particularly relevant to my role right now is management. I've been very lucky in my career to have had so many incredible managers that are still my mentors to this day and so I am looking at how I take those experiences and apply them into supporting my team with their personal and professional development.

Marketing campaign you wish you had come up with?

This is another one of those I wish I had thought about before joining on the call. Ha!

The one that comes to mind is from Always that focused on empowering young girls. It was called ‘Like a Girl’. It was so simple but it does such a wonderful job of killing gender stereotypes and standards while empowering and encouraging young girls to be strong in whatever way that means to them. It’s no secret that Victoria’s Secret is in an era of evolving what it means to be a strong and powerful woman, so I’m always inspired by brands who celebrate a similar ethos and tell stories beautifully like this.

Your one to watch?

I am really inspired by the brand Nuuly.

They are best-in-class at social and truly speaking the language of their customers in a way that feels authentic, current, and community-driven. What sets them apart is their willingness to play and have fun with some really disruptive and playful ideas which I think is what the platform should really be about.

From their tone of voice and copy, to their creative concepts and strategic approaches, everything feels intentional yet effortlessly cool. I am personally always inspired by those brands who have a playful tone and look to have fun with their channels, rather than just leverage them as marketing tools.

Brand / product you can't live without?

It's funny you must get a ton of different answers depending on when you catch the people that you're interviewing. I bet someone who has had a bad day answers differently than they would if they had a good one.

I mean Apple is mine. Iphone. Macbook. I think I truly couldn't live without them, especially in this industry. I actually do content creation outside of my 9-5 and these play a huge role in how I edit and connect to my community in my side passion!

But I am actually going to say Nuuly again. It is such a smart concept in terms of fashion sustainability. I use it for vacations, events, work trips. I even used it for my bachelorette. I have been a customer for a really long time and don’t think I could live without it.

Industry hot take?

My industry hot take is that I think we’re entering a new era of influencer marketing, one where the traditional model of partnering with high-reach creators is becoming less effective and more oversaturated.

There’s growing consumer distrust and skepticism and a shifting sentiment towards influencer marketing in general that we as marketers need to adapt. That said, I don’t think this signals the end of influencer marketing, it’s just evolving. We’re seeing a necessary shift toward more meaningful, creative, and trust-based collaborations. It’s less about follower count and more about authentic, high-quality engagement.

I often think about our work with Duel and micro/nano creators. When we invest time in nurturing those partnerships, we see how powerful it is to give creators space to be genuinely creative and show how they use our products in ways that deeply resonate with their communities. Even with a smaller following, their impact is often more personal and lasting.

This evolution is exciting and is pushing all of us to be more innovative and thoughtful in how we celebrate and collaborate with creators. I believe the future in this space lies in prioritizing authenticity over pure scale.

Follow Julia

Julia is an excellent follow giving you a rare glance of BTS action of life at Victoria’s Secret. Give her a follow on LinkedIn.

And be sure to keep eyes on Victoria’s Secret social channels. Exciting things are coming!

Til next time x