Gigi Hadid joins Victoria Beckham in Paris

• The 48-year-old hasn’t walked a runway in two years. Hopes appearance could help her company get out of debt.
•  She joins fellow Brits Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney in the official calendar.
• Reports this summer showed her label had £54 million in debt, and had to cut prices and staff.

Victoria Beckham made her debut at Paris Fashion Week on Friday with a five-star cast of models, her family on the front row, and a collection filled with edgy sophistication.

The 48-year-old ex-Spice Girl, who hasn’t walked a runway in two years, is hopeful that appearing on the most important date in the fashion calendar could help her company get out of debt.

She sent Gigi Hadid out in a black trouser suit while sending supermodel Bella Hadid out in a chic green outfit and long latex gloves.

As is customary during fashion week, Beckham did not walk the runway herself at the conclusion of the show.

Instead, she mixed with the public after the event on her husband David Beckham’s arm in the courtyard of the site, the Val-de-Grace abbey. This unusual action highlighted her down-to-earth demeanour in the typically closed-off world of high fashion.

“It’s London coming to Paris, and it’s cool,” she was heard saying to the crowd as she posed for pictures with son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola

Stilettos, cutouts, revealing tops, and tight dresses were all shown on the runway, which had a fairly typical lineup of rake-thin models that closely resembled the stylist’s personal appearance.

Among Beckham’s favourite black were springtime hues like pink, blue, mauve, and lilac.

Since her first fashion show in 2008, Victoria Beckham’s elegant daytime and evening dress has surprised fashionistas and surprised some who predicted that she would be another celebrity diva.

With the exception of a brief liaison with London, she has primarily shown her clothing in New York.

However, despite having 250 international stores that sell her clothing, 30 million Instagram followers, and one of the most well-known spouses in the world, Beckham’s company has always had trouble making a profit.

Her chairman is Ralph Toledano, a former president of the French Federation for Haute Couture and Fashion, and her CEO is Marie Leblanc de Reynies, a former head buyer at Paris shopping centre Printemps, in an effort to turn things around.

“Victoria is not from the fashion world. She threw herself into the business and at a certain point, she needed to structure, organise and bring some order to the house, which is what we’ve been doing for the past four years,” Toledano told AFP.

Chic office and evening wear was always going to struggle during the pandemic, and reports this summer showed the label had £54 million in debt, and had to cut prices and staff to stay afloat.

But a successful cosmetics line, launched in 2019, has helped trim losses, and the team hopes to break even in the coming months.

“We’ve defined a strategy, combined two pret-a-porter lines, found the right price-point… now it’s time to enter the big league,” said Toledano.

Paris Fashion Week is a way for Beckham to validate her status “as a designer and not just a celebrity,” said Benjamin Simmenauer, a professor at the French Institute of Fashion.

She joins fellow Brits Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney in the official Paris calender, as well as rising stars such as Craig Green…AFP

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