Victoria Beckham is looking forward to her fashion career after her designer items were caught in the fallout following the collapse of fashion group Matches.
The Spice Girl is focusing on her anticipated high street collaboration with Mango, her first foray into the affordable market.
Her signature slip dresses, knitwear and tailoring have been remade at a more handbag-friendly price point, compared to the £90 she charges for a t-shirt from her eponymous label, which launched in 2008.
While she’s finally turning a profit from her skimpy line, Victoria’s expensive designer pieces have run into trouble again this week.
The Mail On Sunday has revealed how the star turned to ‘the mother of all returns’ following the collapse of fashion group Matches.
Victoria Beckham is looking forward to her fashion career after her designer items were caught in the fallout following the collapse of fashion group Matches
The former Spice Girl and bosses at her VB label have demanded the online retailer return all the summer stock she sent there in March, only to find out days later that the company has gone bankrupt.
A VB source says she has been working with Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, which bought Matches last December, to get her clothes back because she fears the company, now in administration, may not pay her.
There are currently 68 VB lines for sale on the website. The source said: ‘Matches continues to sell designer clothes online and has promised to pay for everything. But some brands, such as VB, have insisted on getting the stock back so they can sell it themselves. Not everyone is convinced that Mike Ashley’s organization – and the administrators – will pay up.’
Various brands have their own arrangements with Matches. In the case of VB, Victoria has ordered her entire collection to be returned – which has been agreed in principle. Smaller labels had to write down their shares and now risk losing sales.
Her launch on April 23 with Mango comes at a good time for the fashion star.
Victoria revealed in an interview with WWD that she decided to work with Mango to “appeal to a broader audience in a way that feels relevant to my brand and maintains my aesthetic and DNA.”
And in a new interview with Fashion this week she insisted that she has not compromised on quality, promising that “if you invest in one of these pieces, you won’t just wear them for one season, but they will be pieces that you will have in your wardrobe keep it and wear it all the time. and again and again.’
Victoria called the collection ‘timeless’: ‘I think people will be very surprised by how strong the fashion message is in each garment.’
The Spice Girl focuses on her anticipated high street collaboration with Mango, her first foray into the affordable market (pictured at her S/S 2024 fashion show in Paris)
Her signature slip dresses, knits and tailoring have been recreated at a more wallet-friendly price, compared to the £90 she charges for a t-shirt from her eponymous label
And industry experts agree that a move to the high street is exactly what designers like Victoria should be focusing on.
Speak with Harper’s Bazaar this week, Dr Bethan Alexander, Lecturer in Fashion Retailing & Marketing at the Fashion Business School, London College of Fashion, said there are huge benefits for both the designer and high street retailers.
“A collaboration between designers is a viable opportunity to increase market share while the designers maintain their market position,” she explained.
‘The luxury market is currently facing unprecedented challenges, so it is particularly important. Maintaining turnover is difficult, but the quick, relatively easy injection of money from collaborations is attractive.’
Victoria Beckham X Mango will be available from April 23 at Mango.com.
