How Victoria and David Beckham became the perfect ‘brand’.

This week, PR and brand expert Nick Ede suggested how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could turn their image around: take a leaf out of the Beckham’s book.

“I think that Harry and Meghan are going to go down the brand route,” Ede told OK.

“I think they will look at those business models that the Beckhams have done, whether that’s monetising their suits, monetising their eyewear, or monetising their fragrance,” he said.

“If you look at Victoria Beckham, her fashion brand doesn’t make money, but her makeup and beauty range is one of the biggest sellers in the world.”

It’s true – Victoria Beckham Beauty made almost AUD$4 million in its first three months, with many products still hard to get your hands on.

And while her fashion brand might not be super successful yet, she has cemented herself as a key face in the industry.

It’s pretty incredible for a former pop star with no real training, whose personal style was quite different when she met Britain’s most famous football player.

In 1997, after meeting at a charity football match in Manchester, Victoria ‘Posh Spice’ Adams began dating Manchester United footballer David Beckham.

Once the pair began officially dating, their relationship quickly became the focus of the British tabloids, as the media bestowed the new couple with the now-famous moniker “Posh and Becks”.

The years that followed showcased Victoria’s WAG wardrobe, while David could have easily been mistaken for a Backstreet Boy when he wasn’t on the field.

Within a year of meeting, the couple announced their engagement in a press conference. After welcoming their first child, son Brooklyn, in March 1999, the couple went on to marry on July 4.

They started wearing his ‘n’ her ensembles – from all-white numbers on the red carpet to their infamous matching purple outfits for their wedding reception.

In the early 2000s, Victoria tried her hand as a solo artist. While she had four top 10 singles, her first solo album failed to sell, and her next two albums were not released.

At first, like a lot of celebrities, Victoria’s fashion career started with her essentially licensing her name to other brands.

She designed jeans and sunglasses before she and David launched the Beckham Signature fragrance collection in the US.

Image: Getty.

While her husband, having worn Adidas football boots from the beginning of his career, signed a $160 million lifetime contract with the sportswear brand in 2003, earning nearly half the money upfront.

Victoria launched her first ready-to-wear collection at New York Fashion Week in 2008.

“I always wanted to be a fashion designer,” she said at the launch of her label.

“Then along came the Spice Girls, which opened a lot of doors for me. And, let’s be honest, closed a lot. But those days are over. I was never going to be the world’s best singer, but I hope I can be a good designer.”

Victoria’s first ready-to-wear collection consisted of just 10 dresses. They would retail for between £650 (AU$1,275) and £1,900 (AU$3,730).

Victoria presented her collection to a small group of journalists at the Waldorf Hotel during New York Fashion Week, and reviews were surprisingly positive.

“In fact – and I can’t quite believe I’m writing this – it was a very impressive, accomplished collection, with not a single dud,” the fashion editor of The Times, Lisa Armstrong, wrote.

Beckham had no training as a designer, but surrounded herself with people who knew what they were doing. From the beginning, she was very involved in the design process.

“I can draw, but badly,” she told The New York Times. “I think that’s okay. No one’s expecting me to do it the normal way. And that’s a good thing. But I do sometimes take all my clothes off and drape on myself.”

The business grew. In 2011, Beckham launched a new line, Victoria, with more colourful, flirty dresses, selling at significantly cheaper – but still not cheap – prices.

In the same year, Beckham won Designer Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

Image: Getty.

After welcoming their fourth and final child, Harper, in 2011, the couple’s style has undoubtedly evolved.

Victoria ditched her signature oversized sunglasses and sky-high Louboutins for sleeker silhouettes.

While David leaned into fashion as well, launching his own fashion brand in 2018 under the name House 99. (He’s also collaborated with watch brands, skincare and launched his own whiskey.)

From launching at New York Fashion Week to moving to London, Victoria struggled to turn a profit since her fashion brand’s inception.

In 2019, she shifted her focus to beauty, launching Victoria Beckham Beauty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The timing, with lockdowns for long stints of time around the world, saw the brand’s revenue skyrocket.

In 2022, Victoria presented her fashion brand at Paris Fashion Week for the first time.

In the same year, the company saw a major sales, boost thanks to its leather goods. In 2022, the chain pouch bag, recognisable for the gold watch strap links strung across its front, hit stores.

It consistently sells out and now has a waiting list.

Whatever happens with her fashion brand, however, doesn’t particularly matter.

In 2019, the Beckhams became billionaires with their net worth combined, and when you hear their names, it’s not just their faces you think of.

It’s their makeup brand, fashion brand, alcohol brand, fragrances, shoe collaborations, the list goes on.

Maybe it would be worth Harry and Meghan taking some notes.