Victoria Beckham Understood the fashion industry would dismiss her as a wannabe
Former pop-star Victoria Beckham knew she would have to triumph over hard-to-impress fashion critics when she launched her first clothing line a decade ago, but the one-time Spice Girl said the sector was much harder to crack than she had ever imagined.
Speaking in Paris on Friday at a conference organized by Vogue magazine, Beckham, whose sets have since gained critical acclaim and won fashion awards for their fluid, sharp tailoring, said she was expanding her empire with make-up and skincare ranges.
"I was really aware of the preconceptions, being married to David Beckham, being a Spice Girl, all of a sudden here is a collection, I knew that eyes would roll," she said, adding she had focused on"making it all about the clothing and not listening to any of that."
Beckham mentioned late Chanel creative chief Karl Lagerfeld and Italy's Valentino Garavani as two designers who had helped her, but said the notoriously cutthroat industry had amazed her.
"If I had known then what I know today, I do not know if I would have the courage to do it," she joked.
According to the latest British company filings, Beckham's brand, which is privately owned by the programmer, David Beckham and agent Simon Fuller, was still in the red in 2017. It raised 30 million pounds ($38 million) two years ago from NEO Investment Partners to revive the brand.
Beckham said on Friday that as well as a newly launched make-up lineup, her brand could be turning out skincare products, as well as fragrances, maybe next year.
Makeup is an often highly profitable sideline for luxury labels, and large rivals, from Kering and Gucci to Hermes, have expanded their ranges, which are accessible to a wider range of shoppers.
Known as"Posh Spice" when she was in the 1990s girl band, Beckham, dressed on Friday at a green tweed suit, said she didn't regret any of her prior fashion choices - like stage outfits such as the PVC catsuits she sported.
News Source Reuters
