Mango Beckham’s brand bears fruit with high street collaboration
As a twentysomething Spice Girl she proclaimed she wanted to be “as famous as Persil Automatic”. Now, as she enters her sixth decade, the pop star turned designer has eclipsed her goal.
Victoria Beckham’s debut collection for the high street chain Mango landed globally online yesterday and in select stores. By 8am in London a queue had formed outside the brand’s Oxford Street store as fans tried to get their hands on pieces that spanned tailoring, evening wear and jewellery.
The shoppers in the Oxford Street store consisted of mainly millennials who grew up watching Beckham in her 90s Spice Girls pomp. While many couldn’t afford to spend four figures on a blazer from Beckham’s own label, which she launched in 2008, they were willing to splash out on a Beckham designed Mango one for £180. “I don’t have a set budget for today,” said one shopper. “I love Victoria’s main line but I can only ever dream of getting one very special piece from that. This collection means I can have multiple.”
Beckham’s collection is the final of a series of luxury designer collaborations unveiled by fast fashion retailers this month. H&M teamed up with the emerging designer Rokh and & Other Stories partnered with the whimsical Chinese designer Susan Fang.
Although Mango played it safe by choosing a well known name and leaning heavily into what shoppers called a “typical VB aesthetic” consisting of a muted colour palette and simple silhouettes, the strategy proved fruitful. By noon Mango had completely sold out of the jewellery while shoppers were advised to join a waiting list for items including a £170 black slip dress.
It’s a coup for Mango but Beckham will be equally pleased. It cements her status, not only as a designer that has reach well beyond the hallowed front row, but as a bonafide standalone brand. Her husband, David, may be credited with kickstarting Brand Beckham, but behind the scenes it is Victoria who has earned the moniker of fashion’s hardest grafter.
In 2022, she decided to keep her atelier in west London but to re-stage her show in Paris. Two years later, she continues to hold the coveted Friday night headline slot of fashion week with Anna Wintour taking her regular seat next to David and their four children.
But it’s a four-part Netflix series that has really propelled Brand Beckham into the stratosphere.
Charting David’s football career it amassed more than 3.8 million viewers during its first week last October with clips of the couples’ on-screen teasing going viral.
Brand Beckham quickly spun the memes into merch with the “David’s Wife” T-shirt for sale for a cool £110 on victoriabeckham.com.
Ever the entrepreneur, the brandification blends seamlessly into her personal life too.