INITIALLY STEREOTYPED AS JUST ANOTHER CELEBRITY WITH A FASHION LABEL, VICTORIA BECKHAM SPENT NEARLY TWO DECADES PROVING THE SKEPTICS WRONG. NOW, WITH A BOOMING LUXURY BUSINESS AND A NEW SOHO FLAGSHIP, POSH CONTINUES HER REIGN AS AN INTERNATIONAL POWERHOUSE

BY AMANDA McCOY · PHOTO BY DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE / ALAMY

When Victoria Beckham invited fashion editors into a suite at New York’s Waldorf Astoria in 2008 to view her debut namesake collection, she knew her young brand would be met with skepticism. She was one-fifth of the most successful girl band of all time, and though it had been nearly eight years since Spice Girls announced an indefinite hiatus, much of the world saw her as the platform-heeled, LBD-donning starlet famed for her stoic pout. She was also one-half of the supercouple Posh and Becks, one of Britain’s most famous and scrutinized celebrity duos of the late ‘90s and early aughts (Victoria and David Beckham appeared on countless tabloid covers during the first decade of their relationship).

But over the course of the next few days, as Beckham personally presented a small collection of impeccably constructed, curve-hugging dresses in her hotel suite, it became clear this was not a fleeting celebrity vanity project. Explaining the seams, corsetry, and fit behind each piece, Beckham debuted her collection not as a former pop princess, but as a serious fashion authority.

In many cases, the response was immediate. Ken Downing, fashion director for Neiman Marcus, was “blown away,” describing her pieces “as exquisite and beautiful on the inside as they were on the outside.” Selfridges, the Oxford Street landmark heralded as one of the premier luxury department stores in the world, sold out of her capsule collection almost instantly. Blake Lively, Cameron Diaz, Beyoncé, and Kim Kardashian were spotted in early-era VB designs. “Don’t underestimate her,” asserted Vogue’s legendary editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Her early signature became the “sucky-sucky dress,” as she jokingly called it: tightly engineered, hourglass-shaped dresses with internal structure, sculpting seams, and long zippers designed to flatter rather than merely cling.

As Beckham’s label gained steam, her designs began to evolve. By 2011, those corseted silhouettes were sharing the collection with looser draping, voluminous shapes, structured coats, and razor-sharp tailoring. “At first, I wanted clothes that people would associate with me,” she told Vogue in a 2012 interview. “I was probably a little bit more self-conscious then – I was afraid to wear things that weren’t super-supertight. In those days, I wore a lot of corsetry. That was a sign of my own insecurities. By season three or four, I started doing a lot more research about things that I didn’t like. And I started challenging myself. Now that I feel more confident, creatively I feel more satisfied.”

Her first full-scale runway show, for Spring 2012 at the New York Public Library, featured utility details, sporty elements, boxy handbags, and even flat sandals – a small rebellion for a designer once seemingly welded to skyscraper heels. That same year, the British Fashion Council named Victoria Beckham Designer Brand of the Year, putting her ahead of such exalted nominees as Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, and Burberry. Beckham opened her first standalone store on London’s Dover Street in 2014, giving the brand a physical home of its own. In 2019, she launched Victoria Beckham Beauty, a clean, high-performance line of makeup, skincare essentials, and fragrances that reflect her effortless luxury ethos. In 2022, she made her Paris Fashion Week debut at the hallowed Val-de-Grâce monastery and church with an A-list cast of models and David Beckham and their four kids in the front row.

“I don’t do anything by halves,” she told the New York Times. “If you’re going to do something, do it properly, I think. Otherwise there is no point in doing it at all.”

Today, Victoria Beckham is carried in 230 stores across 50 countries worldwide, in addition to her booming online presence. Though her design language has evolved since her debut capsule, her collections remain rooted in elegant-chic, impeccably cut staples for the modern sophisticate. Dresses are still a signature offering, from fluid midis and satin halternecks to ultra-glamorous, body-skimming gowns with deep-V necklines. Elevated RTW separates, from single-breasted jackets to fitted skirts and tailored trousers, are also key players, joined by lingerie, denim, handbags, sculptural jewelry, mohair scarves, and other accessories.

This September, Beckham opened her first permanent U.S. store on Mercer Street in SoHo. It is a genuine full-circle moment: 18 years after introducing a handful of dresses to a dubious audience in that Waldorf suite uptown, the now prominent and highly respected designer has a Manhattan flagship bearing her name. The loft-like boutique was developed with artist Alexander May and designer Ole Lund of LNP, preserving a distinctly SoHo character while filtering it through Beckham’s polished British eye. A double-height ceiling sets the stage for a 1930s Fontana Arte lantern designed by Gio Ponti, while burgundy-and-white marble forms a dramatic beauty bar near the entrance. Mineral tones, tactile finishes, timber, lacquer, and velvet soften the industrial bones. “It needed to feel unmistakably Victoria Beckham – warm, intimate, and like an extension of the house,” said the designer.

Victoria Beckham (then Adams) spent only a handful of years at the center of Spice-mania, but she has spent decades fighting the preconceptions that came with it. Perhaps her first act was more prescient than it seemed at the time – she was dubbed Posh because of her ardor for fashion and intuitive grasp of style and presentation – but today, with countless industry awards and a rapidly expanding empire under her calf leather belt, no one is questioning her seat at fashion’s high table.

Victoria Beckham — victoriabeckham.com