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Darren Barnet talks Victoria’s Secret, men’s underwear and the future

Darren Barnet wears pink.

In fact, the “Never Have I Ever” star and brand ambassador says she’s a big fan of Pink’s gender-neutral range.

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Darren Barnet in the gender neutral Pink collection.  - Credit: Courtesy photoDarren Barnet in the gender neutral Pink collection.  - Credit: Courtesy photo

Darren Barnet in the gender neutral Pink collection. – Credit: Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

“Honestly, I was really surprised by how much I liked the line itself,” Barnet told WWD over the phone. “It’s really stuff I wear all the time; they are things that are very comparable to what I have worn in my own style and my own collection. I carry it around the house. I literally wore it on a (red) carpet before and took pictures with it. I just did a magazine photo shoot with her. I traveled with him; I take it on the plane.”

Right now, that trip includes a trip to the Dominican Republic, where the budding star is filming his latest movie, after which he’ll fly to his next film location. “And possibly another show,” Barnet explained. “I’m very busy right now.”

Actor and Pink brand ambassador Darren Barnet in pieces from Pink's gender neutral collection.  - Credit: Courtesy photoActor and Pink brand ambassador Darren Barnet in pieces from Pink's gender neutral collection.  - Credit: Courtesy photo

Actor and Pink brand ambassador Darren Barnet in pieces from Pink’s gender neutral collection. – Credit: Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

This past spring, however, he found time to become a brand ambassador for Pink — the loungewear and loungewear brand’s first male ambassador — as it launched a new gender-neutral collection.

As part of the partnership, Barnet served as a judge on this year’s selection committee for the fourth annual Pink With Purpose Project alongside fellow brand ambassadors, model Remi Bader and R&B duo Chloe x Halle. The initiative awards $25,000 in grants to 10 young people, aged between 18 and 28, to help them finance local projects and causes. The latest batch of winners, which the brand will reveal on Tuesday, were all women. But Pink reps said the scholarship is open to both women and men.

Actor and brand ambassador Darren Barnet, far right, poses with recipients of the fourth annual Pink With Purpose Project scholarship.  - Credit: Courtesy photoActor and brand ambassador Darren Barnet, far right, poses with recipients of the fourth annual Pink With Purpose Project scholarship.  - Credit: Courtesy photo

Actor and brand ambassador Darren Barnet, far right, poses with recipients of the fourth annual Pink With Purpose Project scholarship. – Credit: Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

“The Pink With Purpose project was a really fulfilling experience for me,” said Barnet. “Seeing the genuine smiles and joy on the girls’ faces when they won this scholarship to fuel a project that they found, you know, that goes with all the Pink guidelines of inclusion and community, was really rewarding for me.”

So is female empowerment, something that both Pink’s parent company, Victoria’s Secret & Co., and the actor have said is important to them. In the case of the former, Victoria’s Secret has spent the past few years trying to recast itself as a “women’s advocate” amid declining sales, the #MeToo movement and consumer desire for more inclusive products and marketing materials. Victoria’s Secret responded by adding plus sizes, transgender and disabled models in its lineup, it eliminated near-perfect angels and the annual fashion show, launched a gender-neutral program. interior brand called Happy Nation and formed VS Collective, among other things.

So far the reactions have been mixed. While the firm met Wall Street’s expectations last quarter, some consumers aren’t buying the lingerie giant’s makeover.

Most recently, TikTok creator Jax’s song “Victoria’s Secret” caused a viral backlash. So much so that Pink CEO Amy Hauk apologized to consumers on Instagram.

“We make no apologies for the past,” Hauk wrote on the platform. “And we are committed to earning back your trust. Our transformation is a journey and every day we work hard to support all women.”

Meanwhile, Barnet said his passion for female empowerment came from growing up around so many strong women, namely his mother, two sisters and grandmother.

“I was never raised in a place where I didn’t see empowered women; women to me have always been the strongest force,” he said. “(But) the older I got, the more I got into the workforce, no matter what business I was in, I would see how unbalanced it could be. (Yet) I’ve always known the strength that women carry within themselves, having been raised by very strong women. I think the world is definitely changing now. So I like the change. I pray they keep changing and I think Pink has a strong leg up in that fight.”

The actor added that Victoria’s Secret’s transformation “was a positive change in the right direction. And I think the incentive is there and I’m excited to see what’s next.”

Darren Barnet in pieces from Pink's gender neutral collection.  Pink is owned by Victoria's Secret & Co.  - Credit: Courtesy photoDarren Barnet in pieces from Pink's gender neutral collection.  Pink is owned by Victoria's Secret & Co.  - Credit: Courtesy photo

Darren Barnet in pieces from Pink’s gender neutral collection. Pink is owned by Victoria’s Secret & Co. – Credit: Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

While Barnet admitted he “wasn’t very educated about the brand” when Pink first approached him (“I took it like, it was a girl’s line,” he said), his perspective has changed since then.

“When Pink came to me, initially, I was like, ‘What does this mean?'” he explained. “But then I saw they made a genderless line. It kind of opened my eyes to (the brand) a lot more. So, I won’t say I wasn’t a fan (before the partnership). I knew it was a very popular brand and, you know, very widespread. But yeah, when Pink came to me, it opened up a whole new world of what it was.

“It’s interesting that clothes are clothes and what you’re told to wear is definitely a construction of your environment and what you grow up with and, you know, I think you should just wear what makes you comfortable and not be judged or judged. others about it,” Barnett continued. “I’m a pretty open-minded person.”

That includes recent growth in men underwear category. The actor said he “needs to see it first” before he can decide whether to wear it. “But if I saw something and it looked comfortable, you know, and I thought it was great, then yes,” Barnet said.

He is also open to future fashion collaborations if the fit is right.

“I’m just getting my toes wet,” Barnet said. “And I think it was wonderful to do that with Pink, because it was such an easy, fluid, amazing process. So, yes, the answer is yes. If it’s something organic to me; if it’s something I can walk away with, then sure.”

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