TheRoof Lifestyle Online Magazine | Page 4

In 2008 she challenged the world of fashion with her much-discussed shoot for Marc Jacobs Spring ad campaign and her unexpectedly good and praised first dresses-only SS 09 collection presented in a small press event at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, NYC. Her first seasons included lots of structure and corsetry but also great fit and quality. The newly-founded designer appeared on the April 2008 cover of British Vogue, the November issue of Indian Vogue, and the February 2009 cover of Russian Vogue. Her commitment to avoid the use of real fur made her more popular, and her evolving designs earned her the Designer Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2011. She added handbags to her SS 11 collection and coats to FW 11. In January 2012, she launched her contemporary line Victoria, by Victoria Beckham at Harvey Nichols. French Vogue EIC Emmanuelle Alt invited her as guest editor-in-chief for the December 2013 issue, praising her as a perfectionist. That year, she was the most-searched-inthe-internet fashion designer in the U.S., followed by Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren. She was also named one of the UK’s most influential women in BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour 2013 Power List. She might have started as a small business of three people in a space offered by music impresario Simon Fuller, but today in her London headquarters in Battersea, more than 100 professionals are working for her, in a business of $50 million sales in 2013, 91% more than the previous year. She recently opened another office in Chelsea, NYC, and is opening her first store on London’s Dover Street in September 2014. Late this March, she was spotted inspecting the space. Victoria stands out as a designer for her simple lines, enhanced by artful use of color, great tailoring and quality of fabrics. Her website and e-shop exude educated simplicity and sophisticated boldness. She has evolved impressively, gradually departing from skin-tight dresses, to embrace more separates (first time in SS13), organic forms and nouveau silhouettes. On her 40th birthday in April, Glamour magazine (May issue) celebrated her unparalleled success of less than 6 years with a rainbow montage of 40 top-tier celebrities wearing 40 of her memorable designs!