Kylie Jenner, the American entrepreneur and founder of beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics, took to the runway at the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 18, wearing a jewel-encrusted bra valued at $50 million. The piece set a new record as the most expensive Fantasy Bra in the collection’s history. It was Jenner’s first appearance in a Victoria’s Secret show, which also marked the return of the brand’s diamond-studded bras after eight years.

The one-of-a-kind bra was designed and created by US luxury jeweller Jacob & Co. According to Vogue, it features 4,410 natural diamonds centred around a rare 75.54-carat radiant-cut yellow diamond. The centre stone alone is reportedly worth $22 million.

The centrepiece is a Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond, the highest level of yellow colour intensity under the Gemological Institute of America’s grading system. According to published specifications, the diamonds used in the bra have a combined weight of more than 1,373 carats.

Jacob & Co. said the piece took more than 1,000 hours to complete and involved 15 skilled artisans. The bra comprises 3,218 individual components, joined using 18-karat white gold and advanced jewellery-making techniques. It weighs nearly 1.8 kilograms.

One of the bra’s most distinctive features is that it contains no fabric. To give the all-jewelled piece the flexibility required despite its weight and metal structure, the designers drew inspiration from Jacob & Co.’s Rare Touch jewellery collection, in which precious metals are engineered to flex like fabric with the body’s movement.

Jacob Arabo, founder of the jewellery house, said in a post published by Victoria’s Secret ahead of the show that his goal was to create the most expensive Fantasy Bra in history, but that financial value alone was not enough.

He said diamonds, light and movement were the central elements of the design. According to Arabo, the use of diamonds in various shapes and sizes, including the exclusive “Angel” cut, allows the bra to reflect light from different angles with every movement on stage.

Kylie Jenner, 29, made an unannounced appearance on stage wearing large white wings, a short skirt and transparent high heels. Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet, her partner, and her mother, Kris Jenner, cheered her on from the front row.

However, the decision to choose Jenner to showcase the most expensive Fantasy Bra in history drew criticism from some Victoria’s Secret fans.

According to Marie Claire Australia, several users commenting on a joint post by Victoria’s Secret and Jacob & Co. called the decision unfair, arguing that the honour of wearing the Fantasy Bra should have gone to one of the brand’s veteran models rather than someone best known for social media and the entertainment industry.

One user wrote: “Imagine a model working hard for years, only for the opportunity to be given to someone who is simply famous.” Another objected to the choice, noting that Jenner is not one of the official Victoria’s Secret models known as “Angels.”

Adam Selman, Victoria’s Secret’s chief creative officer, defended the decision in an interview with Vogue, saying Kylie Jenner’s cultural influence extends beyond fashion and television. He said the brand aimed to make the return of the Fantasy Bra more appealing to audiences by featuring an unexpected and influential figure.

Victoria’s Secret’s Fantasy Bra tradition began in 1996 with Claudia Schiffer. Until this year, the most expensive piece in the collection was the $15 million Red Hot Fantasy Bra, worn by Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen in a 2000 advertising campaign for the brand.

The last Fantasy Bra before this year was a $1 million creation modelled on the runway by Elsa Hosk in 2018. Victoria’s Secret discontinued its annual fashion show a year later. Although the event returned in 2024, the Fantasy Bra had not reappeared on the runway until this year.

The 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was held at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, and featured stars including Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio. The event also included live performances by several musical artists and was streamed live on YouTube and Victoria’s Secret’s social media platforms.