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Now here’s something you absolutely can’t believe Victoria BeckhamGlam Spice Girl turned high-profile fashion designer: At theater school, they deliberately put her in the back row. Because it was very heavy.
“It was really tough,” she says now of memories from her youth, sipping sparkling water in a Manhattan hotel between work engagements. “We were all judged based on how we looked. I was young. My skin was bad, my weight was going up and down, my hair was really thin.”
Beckham was also bullied at school and told she learned poorly, a new documentary, “Victoria Beckham,” reveals. three parts Netflix The series traces his career and particularly his rise in the fashion world – producing a lavish Paris runway show in a palace in front of 600 people.
That 2024 show — with a typhoon threatening to ruin the whole thing — has been billed as a career pinnacle for a designer who spent years proving herself to the giants of the field, showing she wasn’t just a celebrity stamping her name on a label. (Vogue’s Anna Wintour is one of the fashion luminaries attesting to Beckham’s hard-earned industry acceptance in the documentary).
Of course the show also includes a generous dose of Beckham’s football legend husband david — as Victoria appeared in her recent, popular Netflix documentary “Beckham” (both produced by David Beckham’s own Studio 99).
Some reviews stated that Victoria’s documentary seemed more guarded and less revelatory. In any case, Victoria Beckham says she wanted to tell her story, her own way. She focuses only briefly on what a certain generation knows her best for — the four years she spent as Posh Spice — and mostly on the two decades she’s been building her eponymous fashion and beauty brand.
Other revelations: While she was the richest partner when they got married and bought their first house in 1999, it was David Beckham Who later invested in his label and helped it grow.
She also talks about how her company almost collapsed due to poor business decisions – such as spending 70,000 pounds (about $94,000) on office plants and another £15,000 (about $20,000) to water them – and how she learned to right the ship with investors.
Beckham, 51, sat down with The Associated Press during a visit this week new yorkThe interview has been edited for length and clarity.
AP: Beckham’s second documentary was released only two years ago. Why did you feel the need for yours?
Beckham: Well, their documentary wasn’t about me, you know. I was in the documentary as David’s wife and I’ve been a part of his journey and I feel very honored to talk about it. People’s reaction to it really surprised me, and there was something quite liberating about it because when I looked at myself… I didn’t like how I came across. But then I guess I’ve always felt that way about myself. I believe this gave me the confidence to do my work.
AP: What specific stories did you want to tell?
Beckham: I’ve been in the fashion industry for almost two decades. I was in the Spice Girls for four years – and my life has been defined by that four-year period. A time that I’m very proud of, but I’m fighting preconceptions because of that period. I feel like my brand is now at a place where talking about my past won’t impact the brand I’ve built.
AP: You say it’s an inspirational story. how come?
Beckham: I’m not ashamed to say I’m really ambitious. And this is the first time that I’ve looked back and got a bird’s eye view of my journey so far and I find it inspiring to see what I’ve done… the fact that I’ve been told “no” so many times, have been told I’m not good enough, not good enough. And by the way, it started when I was a kid, when I was in school. If someone watches this documentary and I can give them the confidence to follow their dreams, that’s another good reason to do it.
AP: Do you think people have misconceptions about you?
Beckham: Oh absolutely, I think for many years I was misunderstood, before social media, you know, the media told the story, and then there were paparazzi pictures of me looking incredibly sad most of the time. And I think watching the documentary that tells my story from ME’s side makes it clear why. I can’t blame people for looking at photos in which I look really grumpy.
AP: You talk about your weight struggles as a girl in theater class. Have you talked about it before?
Beckham: That would never happen. The opportunity never really presented itself. And I know a lot of people can relate to my story because of the messages I’ve received after people watched the documentary. … Yes, from people I know, but also people I don’t know, people who say, “I can relate, I’ve been through this.” It took me this process to finally feel proud of what I have achieved at this age and to finally believe that I am enough.
AP: It seems like you spent relatively little time on the series The Spice Girls Years.
Beckham: I respect my time with the Spice Girls very much. I still look at all the girls. I wouldn’t be who I am now… The Spice Girls gave me the confidence to be myself. I remember Geri (Halliwell) saying to me, “You’re funny, be funny.” I am shy. And they literally gave me my personality back. …I think people would be surprised to know that I was only a Spice Girl for four years. I have been in fashion for almost two decades, but people love fashion.
AP: Two decades later, do you think there are still people who wonder if it’s really you who is designing?
Beckham: Maybe. I don’t know. …I feel like I’ve earned my place to show where I belong. I feel like I’ve proven myself and earned the right to be there. Now I have to work hard to maintain it.
AP: You talk about your business mistakes, even when you were getting top reviews for your fashion.
Beckham: I’ve learned a lot. I know what I know and I also know exactly what I don’t know. It reached a stage where my investors told me that we had to re-strategize not only the business side of things but also the creative side. And that was hard. …We had to change a lot of things to fix the business and I took it upon myself. Of course it meant compromises, but I wanted to save the business.
AP: How are both the fashion and beauty businesses going now?
Beckham: Fashion is profitable in itself. And to be able to say that in this current climate makes me very proud. I’m also an independent brand, so I’m extremely proud to say that fashion is making money. Beauty is also doing incredibly well. And now, it’s about to build the house I’ve actually always dreamed of.
AP: You talk about family on the show, your father and his influence on your entrepreneurship. But does it bother you that people like to write about your current family situation?
Beckham: I think I’m really blessed. I appreciate my life very much. You will have to take it along with other items only.