After winning over critics in New York and London, Victoria Beckham steps up to the pinnacle of the luxury world with her debut at Paris Fashion Week, which kicks off on Monday.
“It’s the arrival of a very beautiful label. We are delighted to have Victoria Beckham among us,” Pascal Morand, head of the French Federation for Haute Couture and Fashion (FHCM), told AFP.
The 48-year-old Brit joins 104 labels in the official line-up for the Pre-A-Porter spring-summer shows in Paris – the most commercially important week of the fashion calendar.
A handful of brands are sticking to online presentations that have become the norm during the CoVID-19 pandemic.
But most of the big names are fully back in the swing of live runway shows, including Dior, Chanel, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney and Issey Miyake, as well as emerging brands such as Vincento, which will be in action on Monday. Let’s start.
Beckham held his first fashion show in New York in 2008 and has presented there mostly over the years, with the exception of a brief stint in London.
“Don’t underestimate her,” said Vogue supremo Anna Wintour when Beckham was starting out, and indeed the former Spice Girl has proven she’s more than just a celebrity crush.
But despite her 250 global clothing outlets, 30 million Instagram followers and one of the world’s most famous husbands, Beckham’s company has always struggled to turn a profit.
The big league
In an effort to turn things around, he has recruited top French talent, including former FHCM president Ralph Toledano as chairman and Marie LeBlanc de Rennes, formerly a buyer for Paris department store Printemps, as c. EO included.
“Victoria’s not from the fashion world. She threw herself into the business and at a certain point, she needed to structure, organize and sort out the house, which we’ve been doing for the last four years,” Toledano said. told AFP.
A successful cosmetics line launched in 2019 has helped offset losses, and the team hopes to break even in the coming months.
“We’ve defined a strategy, combined the two prêt-à -porter lines, found the right price point… now it’s time to enter the big leagues,” Toledano said.
That means Paris Fashion Week, where Beckham will present on Friday — will make it one of the industry’s loudest and most scrutinized events.
“He’s a little scared, he’s a very humble person,” Toledano said.
This is a sign of the continued importance of traditional fashion events, even as some labels break away from the constant routine of the official calendar.
Notably absent this week is French label Celine, whose artistic director Hedi Slimane has blown hot and cold at Fashion Week.
After declaring the entire system “obsolete” in 2020, he returned in June for a menswear showcase, before failing to show again for womenswear – all without explanation.
Morand insisted that Celine’s absence was a “non-event”.
“The label or the artistic director can make other choices. That’s freedom,” he said.
