She long ago proved there’s more to her than being a Spice Girl.
Now, the fashion powerhouse – who turned 50 this week – reveals to Stellar how she built her eponymous brand into a luxury empire, her newest beauty venture (with an Australian connection), and the real story behind one of many viral moments in the hit documentary Beckham. As she says, “I like to have a point of view”.
Stellar: As the head of a global fashion and beauty empire [her estimated net worth combined with husband David Beckham is $782 million], what are the most important lessons you’ve learnt in business?
Victoria Beckham: I think a key one is that I know what I know – but I also know what I do not know, and for those areas I surround myself with excellent people. I have two brilliant female CEOs, one for [Victoria Beckham] fashion and one for beauty, and we share the same vision for the house we’re building.
What does a typical work day look like for Victoria Beckham?
VB: I love how varied the days can be, from being in my atelier in London for fashion, to being with my beauty team in New York working on product development. I get involved in so many parts of both businesses and I truly enjoy going to work every day.
Since your Spice Girls days where you wore black mini dresses and heels, you’ve been known for your minimalist “posh” styling. How would you describe your current go-to outfit?
VB: My off-duty go-to look is workout leggings, Nike socks, Air Jordan trainers, a hooded top and normally a baseball cap.
Air Jordans aside, what is your day-to-day style advice to modern women dressing for the office?
VB: Keep it simple. Start to learn what suits you and keep that consistency to choosing items. However, it’s also important to take moments to evolve your look, and not get stuck in a rut.
A scene in the 2023 Netflix documentary Beckham, with you and David describing your upbringings, went viral – prompting you to release a T-shirt referencing the line “my dad had a Rolls-Royce”. What did you make of the reaction to the series?
VB: We have been so touched by the reaction to the documentary, and I’m so proud of David and the team behind it. One of the moments where I tell David I’m going to “work”, and then admit I am going for a facial, is in fact a moment where I was heading off to [London-based Australian facialist] Melanie Grant’s for a facial and to try the latest round of cleanser samples in the product development phase [Beckham and Grant have collaborated on The Daily Cleansing Protocol for Victoria Beckham Beauty]. So maybe a facial can be work.
In 2019, you launched Victoria Beckham Beauty – more than a decade after the inception of your fashion line, which started in 2008 and now shows on runways at Paris Fashion Week. What made you expand into a different category?
VB: I never like to launch a product into a crowded category that feels the same as what is out there. I like to have a point of view. In my make-up products, this may be a shade I’ve been missing, or even the packaging, as this can make a difference on the control and how you apply the product. With skincare, we’re really taking our time to launch products that feel different.
You and Melanie Grant have released The Daily Cleansing Protocol – two years in the making – as part of Victoria Beckham Beauty. What does this protocol entail?
VB: With me on the facial bed, Melanie and I often talked about finding the perfect cleanser. Everything we both tried was never perfect; there was always something we wanted to change, whether the texture or the ingredients. So truly, the product development process on this particular product was done during facials. We wanted to find the ultimate cleansing protocol. [It] entails two cleansers: one is an oil formula, and one is a lactic acid gel formula. We wanted to do something different in the space to not only encourage to double cleanse with the same cleanser formula, but to create two different cleansers to complement each other.
What is your day-to-day beauty routine?
VB: It has become simpler over the years and is more of an edit. It’s not about 20 different products. I believe simplicity and highly effective individual products are key. In the morning I use the Daily Oil Cleanser, and normally just once.
It refreshes my skin ahead of applying Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum and Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer. At night, I start with the oil cleanser to take off my make-up.
I try to allow a few minutes for this step and include a light facial massage. Then I use the Daily Lactic Acid Gel Cleanser as a second cleanse on clean skin, followed by the serum and moisturiser. It’s as simple as that. I try to use a [face] mask most nights and an LED mask a few nights a week.
Victoria Beckham Beauty is available in Australia exclusively via Melanie Grant Studios and skincareedit.com. Read the full interview with Victoria Beckham in Stellar tomorrow, via The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (SA).
Originally published as ‘I like to have a point of view’: Victoria Beckham’s style advice as she unveils new Australian beauty collaboration