Dive Brief:

• Victoria's Secret on Thursday said that it will be the exclusive retailer for Mindd, a bra company specializing in D+ sizes.

• Mindd founder Helena Kaylin began her intimates career at Victoria's Secret in 2005, launching her brand last year after stints at Lululemon, Under Armour and Calvin Klein, per a company press release.

• The two companies began working together early this year, and a collection of Mindd bras, seamless underwear and bodysuits is featured online via Victoria's Secret "Brands We Love" tab.

Dive Insight:

This collaboration marks a step forward for Kaylin's fledgling brand, and for Victoria's Secret's effort to distance itself from its previous branding.

Mindd is joining a powerhouse: Even though in recent years the company's missteps cost it market share and sales, it (with its teen-oriented Pink brand) remains the market leader in lingerie.

For Victoria's Secret, it is another opportunity to free itself of its previous dependence on the male gaze and continue its effort to cater to women on their terms. The Mindd partnership, in a way, reflects this particularly well, as it brings forward merchandise that was developed by a member of its research and development team, not in-house, but after she left.

Kaylin credits her work at Victoria's Secret in giving her the skills she needed to develop Mindd. "It was during my invaluable time at Victoria's Secret where I really learned the importance of design and forward-thinking technology when it comes to building truly best in class bras," she said in a statement.

But the fact that she felt she needed to create a lingerie collection in order to meet the needs of an entire customer segment — something she appreciated firsthand as a woman who wears A 36DD herself — is something of an indictment of the company where she launched her career. "[D]espite being on the forefront of bra design and production, she saw that the D+ consumer was significantly underserved," the company said in its release.

Much of Victoria's Secret's comeback, which it has embarked upon as a company apart from former parent L Brands, is predicated on righting past wrongs. While its CEO is a man, mostly women, including its chair, now sit on its board. Perhaps most stark is the replacement of its "angels" with the "V.S. Collective," a group of brand ambassadors including activist women like soccer star Megan Rapinoe, champion free skier Eileen Gu and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas.