Victoria Beckham is looking forward with her fashion career after her designer items were caught in the fallout of 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 trademark slip dresses, knitwear and tailoring have been reacreated at a more purse-friendly price point, compared to the £90 she charges for a t-shirt from her eponymous label, which was launched in 2008.
While she’s finally making a profit from her cash-strapped line, Victoria’s pricey designer pieces have found themselves in trouble again this week.
The Mail On Sunday has revealed how the star has called in ‘the mother of all returns’ after the collapse of fashion group Matches.
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Victoria Beckham is looking forward with her fashion career after her designer items were caught in the fallout of the collapse of fashion group Matches
The former Spice Girl and bosses at her VB label have demanded that the online retailer gives back all the summer stock she sent to it in March, only to learn days later that the company had failed.
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 firm, now in administration, may not pay her.
Currently there are 68 VB lines on sale on the website. The source said: ‘Matches is continuing to sell designer clothing online, and has promised to pay for it all. But some brands, like VB, have insisted on getting the stock back so they can sell it themselves. Not everyone is convinced Mike Ashley’s outfit – and the administrators – will pay up.’
Different brands have their own arrangements with Matches. In VB’s case, Victoria has ordered that her whole collection must be sent back – which has been agreed to, in principle. Smaller labels had to write off their stock and now face losing their business.
Her April 23 launch with Mango then comes at a good time for the fashion star.
Victoria revealed in an interview with WWD that she had decided to work with Mango to ‘speak to a wider audience in a way that feels relevant to my brand and retains my aesthetic and DNA’.
And in a new interview with Vogue this week she insisted she hasn’t compromised on quality, promising that ‘when you invest in one of these pieces, you won’t just wear it for one season, they’ll be pieces you’ll keep in your wardrobe and wear time and time again.’
Calling the collection ‘timeless’ Victoria gushed: ‘I think people will be very surprised by how strong the fashion message is in every single garment.’
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The Spice Girl is focusing on her anticipated high street collaboration with Mango, her first foray into the affordable market (pictured at her S/S 2024 runway show in Paris)
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Her trademark slip dresses, knitwear and tailoring have been reacreated at a more purse-friendly price point, 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.
Speaking to Harpers Bazaar this week Dr Bethan Alexander, Reader in Fashion Retailing & Marketing at the Fashion Business School, London College of Fashion said there are huge benfits to both the designer and the high street shops.
‘A designer collaboration is a viable opportunity to increase market share while the designers maintain their market position,’ she explained.
‘The luxury market is facing unprecedented challenges right now, so it’s especially important. Maintaining sales is difficult, but the quick, relatively easy cash injection from collaborations is appealing.’
Victoria Beckham X Mango will be available to shop from 23 April at Mango.com.
