‘I am a control freak'

Victoria Beckham is mulling entry into new fashion areas but wants to build her business slowly to “still be around in 20 years’ time,” the former pop singer-turned-designer said.

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Published: Thu 11 Nov 2010, 6:44 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 12:59 PM

Beckham, whose label is only two years old, has been shortlisted for the British designer brand of the year award, alongside fashion heavyweights Mulberry, Burberry and Pringle. The winner will be announced on December 7.

Described by fashion critic Suzy Menkes as a rare celebrity who went from “walking down the red carpet to dressing the red carpet,” the former Spice Girl said she was considering getting into accessories such as shoes, but would take her time.

“I would love to (to make shoes) but I would have to have the right team, I would have to really research,” she told the International Herald Tribune luxury conference in London.

“I am a control freak, I am very hands-on and pay attention to details.”

On top of her ready-to-wear collection which she presents in New York twice a year, Beckham has already branched out into denim and eyewear, businesses which she has now regrouped under her Beckham brand and whose production is centralised in Italy.

“More accessories line is definitely something that I would like to do at some point, but to me it is about taking baby steps,” she said.

Beckham is financed by 19 Entertainment, a company founded by British artist manager Simon Fuller, which also backs French designer Roland Mouret under the RM brand.

Her stable of red carpet customers include actresses Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heidi Klum and Brooke Shields. But her dresses have proved a commercial hit as well, often selling out in pre-orders before hitting the shelves.

When she introduced her sharply cut dresses with tight waistlines at the Maria Luisa fashion corner in Paris department store Printemps last year, they sold like hot cakes.

“Her products are structured, chic and made for women like her, with tailor-made bodies, buxom breasts and tiny waistlines,” Maria Luisa Poumaillou, a veteran fashion retailer who opened at Printemps last year, said of Beckham.

Beckham, who lives in Los Angeles with her professional soccer player husband David Beckham and their children, said she often spent evenings talking to her design team in London using the Internet-based video telephone system Skype.

“As every working mom, I wake up every morning and I feel like I am juggling glass balls. I live in Los Angeles, my business is run out of London and most evenings I am curled up in front of Skype in my dressing gown.”


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