Anna Wintour says Victoria Beckham ‘totally proved fashion industry wrong’

Former Vogue editor-in-chief Dame Anna Wintour has said Victoria Beckham “totally proved us wrong” after she assumed the pop singer’s fashion label was a “hobby”.

The former Spice Girl, 51, speaks about her route into the fashion industry in her new, eponymous Netflix series – which features interviews with figures including Dame Anna, Tom Ford and Donatella Versace.

In the three-part series, Dame Anna says: “I view her as a Spice Girl, and we admire her style and her sense of commitment to fashion, but most of the celebrities who get involved in our world are not true designers.

“I thought maybe this was a hobby. I didn’t quite believe it.”

Lady Beckham says Dame Anna, 75, would not come to her shows, despite invitations, until, eventually, her curiosity was piqued.

“People said how much they enjoyed Victoria’s shows and how much fun it was, and so I got curious,” Dame Anna says.

“I was sceptical. I think we can all be a little bit snobby in the fashion business, and think maybe this is a side gig, but Victoria was one that totally proved us wrong.

“It was clear that there was a vision there. There was a point of view for people to recognise what she stands for, and she’s achieved it with grace and with charm and with humility.”

Lady Beckham founded her eponymous label in 2008, the same year she finished the Spice Girls reunion tour and parted ways with her bandmates.

Reflecting on this time, Ford says: “I remember when I first heard that Victoria was going to start her own fashion label, and I wanted to call her and say, ‘Why? Why would you do this? Do you understand this business is so tough?'”

He continues: “I think a lot of people didn’t take it seriously. I think a lot of people thought, ‘Oh, OK, Victoria Beckham is starting a collection. Someone else will probably design it. She’ll stick her name on it. Won’t be very serious’.”

Versace adds: “I thought she was very, very brave.”

In another interview, Lady Beckham’s close friend, US actress Eva Longoria, reveals that people were warning the designer “you will not be accepted”.

“‘Oh, here comes another celebrity wanting to be a fashion person.’ Everybody was coming out with a line. Jessica Simpson had a line, and Paris Hilton had a line”, she adds.

Longoria is the godparent to two of Lady Beckham’s children with her husband Sir David – Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14.

Lady Beckham says: “The likelihood that I was going to become successful was very, very slim, but I really didn’t listen to that. That fuelled me to be completely honest.”

A host of celebrities have worn items from Lady Beckham’s fashion line including Madonna, who wore a black zippered dress in W Magazine in 2009.

Lady Beckham’s company has not made an operating profit since it was formed in 2008.

In 2024, however, the label founded by the former Spice Girl reported its fourth year in a row of sales growth.

She also has a self-titled beauty brand which she launched in 2019.

Her new self-titled Netflix series follows preparation for Paris Fashion Week, the highlight of the fashion calendar, while also looking at the steps she made to get there.

Victoria Beckham launches on Netflix on October 9.