Reports

    Brand Beckham Gains Momentum In China

    As Victoria Beckham uses her celebrity status to market her fashion label in China, Chinese consumers are expressing an equal interest in both her style and her personal life.
    Jing DailyAuthor
      Published   in Retail

    Posh Spice Fields Questions On Fashion And Family#

    Victoria Beckham promotes her fashion line at Lane Crawford.

    While most global media attention regarding the Beckhams' trip to China this week has centered around the massive stampede of fans that transpired during a public appearance by David Beckham, Victoria Beckham has been commanding her own fair share of notice as she promotes her fashion line in the country. After a whirlwind of high-profile media appearances both with her husband and solo, Chinese reactions on social media convey that her personal life is just as important to her branding as her style choices.

    Victoria Beckham with Vogue China Editor-in-Chief Angelica Cheung in Beijing. (Angelica Cheung/Weibo)

    At this point, Beckham and her husband, who was named China's "international ambassador" for soccer, are no strangers to promotional activities in the country. After several previous appearances in China over the past year, the former Spice Girl was marketing herself in full force on this trip. She conducted a Chinese media blitz, with some of her most notable appearances including a CCTV interview with her husband, a Vogue China talk with editor-in-chief Angelica Cheung to a group of students in Beijing, and a "micro-talk" on Weibo, where fans could ask her questions directly about her life.

    David and Victoria Beckham make an appearance on CCTV.

    Celebrities using their fame to brand eponymous product lines is certainly nothing new, but the Chinese reaction to her appears to be a combination of fascination with her personal life and interest in her style, which has been highly influential to perceptions of her overall brand. For example, her Weibo talk featured a slew of questions not only about her fashion preferences, but also about her husband and children. "What do you think is the most important for a woman? Family or career?" queried one user, while another asked, "If it possible, next time when you come China, will you please take your kids? We all love them." Her marriage also came up at her fashion-centered Vogue talk, where she talked about how she and David have been together for 14 years.

    Observers have made connections between her family life and style, asserting that these factors both directly affect her branding and ability to appeal to Chinese consumers. “Victoria Beckham’s style is very consistent, very fitting with her image of fidelity and discretion,” stated a brand-conscious fashion buying agent on Weibo.

    Claudia Lin contributed to this report.

    Discover more
    Daily BriefAnalysis, news, and insights delivered to your inbox.