Victoria Beckham on Taking Power Back from her Critics

The designer and former Spice Girl speaks at BoF VOICES 2022 about gaining strength from criticism and staying focused and resilient amid constant media scrutiny. 

Background:

Victoria Beckham says she has built her career on hard work and resilience. First as a singer in the ‘90s supergroup the Spice Girls and now as a fashion designer for her namesake brand, Beckham has constantly had to prove herself.  

She’s not the first designer to face critics and doubters, but Beckham says she feels she was “naïve” in not anticipating that she would receive the same level of criticism in fashion as she did as a pop star. 

"I have a spotlight on my business like a lot of other brands do not,” she said. “And, you know, sometimes that's great and sometimes it's not. But it's something that I've never complained about. I accept that," she said in a conversation with Laura Weir at BoF VOICES 2022. 

This week on The BoF Podcast, Beckham speaks about the development of her brand and how resilience has been at the core of her creative process.

Key Insights:

• Despite never being “the best” at all of the creative paths she pursued, Beckham believes that it is her work ethic that has underpinned her success. “I believe in putting it out into the universe, and if you work hard enough and believe in yourself enough, then what you can achieve, the sky’s the limit,” she says.
• Since launching her womenswear brand in 2008, and subsequent beauty and accessory categories, Beckham believes her products speak louder than the preconceptions made from her being their designer. “[The media] did not leave their preconceptions at the door,” says Beckham. “The product spoke for itself.”
• Social media has been at the heart of Beckham’s strategy to foster an engaged community and grow her customer basis. “I think the great thing now about social media is you have the opportunity to really communicate with your community and show people who you really are,” she says. “So I feel that to a certain extent we have taken the power back, which I think is great.”

Additional Resources:

• BoF VOICES 2022: Live Your Best Life: In the final session of BoF’s annual gathering, speakers from model Dennis Okwera and Coty chief Sue Y. Nabi to Nike’s Larry Miller and activist Malala Yousafzai reflected on their personal histories and inner powers.

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