Victoria Beckham debuts fashion line in London

LONDON -- Untested in the fashion world, Victoria Beckham launched her VB label in 2008 in New York, across the Atlantic from her native Britain.

A decade on, she will exhibit at London Fashion Week for the first time on Sunday, in a triumphant homecoming of sorts for a now widely-respected designer and entrepreneur.

The ex-Spice Girls singer oversees an empire comprising four clothing lines, more than 400 retail outlets in over 50 countries and offices in London and New York.

At the outset Beckham, a longtime fashionista, faced a daunting challenge: convincing a competitive and demanding industry that she could make a lasting impression on fickle fashion fans.

Seizing the opportunity to surpass her status as a pop star and the original footballer's WAG -- meaning wives and girlfriends -- she has gradually earned widespread recognition, even from fashion luminaries such as Karl Lagerfeld, the creative genius behind Chanel.

"Many saw her as just another example of a celebrity wanting to have a fashion range with no formal fashion training," Andrew Groves, a professor of fashion design at the University of Westminster, told AFP.

"Through hard work and determination, she has proved those early critics wrong."

EVOLUTION

In the space of a decade, Beckham, 44, has ventured into accessories, expanded sales internationally and online and multiplied collaborations with the likes of Reebok, Target and Estee Lauder.

Her style has also evolved, from the chic classicism that marked her first steps into haute couture to the more daring cuts and vibrant colors -- neon orange, mint green, lilac -- of more recent offerings.

"It's been an incredible journey, even when things can be challenging. I've had to learn incredibly quickly," she told The Daily Telegraph newspaper recently.

She claims the secret of her success is a tireless work ethic and the support of her family -- football superstar husband David and their 4 children.

Beckham was blunt about the ambition for her brand "to get bigger and bigger", in a 2013 interview with The New York Times Magazine.

That came a step closer in 2017 with the formation of her Victoria Beckham Limited (VBL) company thanks to a £30 million ($39 million, 34 million euros) injection from private equity firm NEO Investment Partners.

It valued the brand at £100 million, according to Business of Fashion magazine.

'EMPIRE'

However, VBL will look to reduce its losses, which reached £8.5 million at the end of 2016 -- nearly double the previous year, according to its most recent financial results. 

"Running deficits of that volume is not unique in this industry and not necessarily a sign that she is any the less credible," Naomi Braithwaite, a fashion marketing and branding lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, told AFP.

"It takes a time to build a brand and she is competing with labels that have a very long established history."

Groves added that Beckham has "all the right elements to last for many years as a medium-sized designer brand".

He noted her stated desire to build "an empire" hints at the overriding desire to continue to defy the early doubters.

As for the Spice Girls, the most famous girlband in history has reformed for a 13-date tour in 2019 but without "Posh Spice", who has drawn a line under her first life as a pop star, according to British media.

British Vogue magazine featured Beckham surrounded by her children on its October cover under the headline "fashion gets real".

"That's what I'm doing now," she told the magazine.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

David Beckham named People's 'Sexiest Man Alive'

LOS ANGELES - Retired English soccer star David Beckham, an international celebrity both on and off the field, was named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive," on Tuesday.

"It's a huge honor," Beckham, 40, told People of being handed the title on its 30th anniversary. "I'm very pleased to accept."

The soccer legend and husband of pop star and fashion designer Victoria Beckham has long been known for his chiseled good looks.

He has been featured in advertisements for Pepsi, Adidas, and modeled underwear for Giorgio Armani, but the sportsman and father of four told People he has never thought of himself as "an attractive, sexy person."

"I mean I like to wear nice clothes and nice suits and look and feel good, but I don't ever think of myself that way," he said.

Beckham's wife, Victoria, 41, was supportive of his new title, he said.

"I would hope that she feels this way about me all the time anyway," he told People.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Toddler Harper Beckham's designer clothes go on sale for charity

LONDON - She has been dubbed the world's most stylish toddler with a wardrobe even the most dedicated fashionistas envy.

But on Thursday, fashion fan parents got a chance to dress their own tots in Harper Beckham's clothes after a collection of her outfits went on sale for charity in London.

Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham donated 25 of her three-year-old daughter's outfits as part of Save the Children's "Fashion Saves Lives" sale.

On display were dresses, skirts, tops, trousers, coats and shoes - from Doc Martens boots to colorful pumps - by designer names such as Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney and Versace with price tags reaching up to 500 pounds($795).

A pink flower and jewel embellished Mischka Aoki dress, retailing at around 3,700 pounds, was placed in an auction, which will run until June 28.

Queues started forming outside the "Mary's living & giving" shop in London's Primrose Hill early Thursday morning, with eager mothers wanting to be the first to get their hands on the designer items.

"Yesterday when we were getting ready for the sale, we had people walking past all day, knocking on the window desperate to find out how they could get their hands on an outfit," Helena Wiltshire, head of PR at Save The Children, told local media.

Save The Children said the first item was sold five minutes after the sale began at 0900 GMT (5.00 a.m. ET).

(1 US dollar = 0.6285 British pound)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

David Beckham donates clothes for 'Yolanda' victims

MANILA - Celebrity couple David and Victoria Beckham donated 20 boxes of designer clothes and shoes to the British Red Cross in London to help raise funds for the victims of typhoon 'Yolanda.'

The collection reportedly included suits and shoes estimated to be worth at around £800 or P56,000 each.

Victoria Beckham, formerly known as Posh Spice of the "Spice Girls," encouraged more people to do the same.

"Everyone has something in their closet they were holding on to - a dress, suit, or pair of shoes they thought they might wear again," she said.

"Dig them out, bag them up, drop them off and give someone else the chance to buy them, raising much-needed funds for the Red Cross aid effort."

Earlier this month, other British celebrities, led by boy band One Direction, held a telethon on London's iconic BT Tower to answer the "Typhoon Appeal" of UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

And according to the official Facebook page of the DEC, as of Thursday, the umbrella charity organization already raised more than £55 million or around P3.8 billion for those affected by the super typhoon.

“Survivors of the disaster desperately need a huge amount of help both now and in the months to come, so this money will literally support people to rebuild their lives,” said DEC Chief Executive, Saleh Saeed in the Facebook post.

As of November 21, the death toll from Yolanda stands at 4,011, while 1,602 remain missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The NDRRMC said at least 2.1 million families or 9.9 million individuals were affected by 'Yolanda.'

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com