Victoria Beckham signs off on every product that carries her name, down to the size of a lipstick bullet. That obsessive attention to detail makes its way to the Middle East, where the brand launches Nov. 20, WWD has learned exclusively, at Ounass and Bloomingdales.ae in partnership with Al Tayer Insignia.
“I never put anything out there until I truly believe it is best in class,” she said. “Nothing is easy to develop when you’re trying to create something that hasn’t been done before.”
Ahead of the debut, Beckham told WWD the region has long been important to her and that “there’s an appetite right now.”
A trip to Dubai for her fashion capsule with Ounass last year gave her a read on the customer. “I really enjoyed meeting the women. I could really relate to the ladies,” Beckham said. “They appreciate quality, and for me, being a creative director at both fashion and beauty, I’m very, very hands-on with every single detail for both brands. Because ultimately, it’s all about the product.”
That attention to detail makes development slow and deliberate. Rouge Victoria, the brand’s new refillable lipstick in six shades of red, took more than two years. Beckham kept sending submissions back because she wanted a smaller bullet, a challenge when the case needed a magnet and a refill system.
“It’s my job to do that, and therefore everything should appear so easy to my customer,” she said. “Everything takes time, because I always say I never settle, and I’m always striving for perfection.”
Testing is personal, too. “I wear-test everything,” Beckham said. “If I can wear-test my makeup and be in Miami in August in the most extreme humidity, then I’m pretty confident that it’s not going to let anybody down in the Middle East.” On her last visit, she recalled, it was very hot, and the products stayed in place.
The launch carries the brand’s global assortment rather than a regional edit. Beckham said every product is developed to work across skin tones, from foundation to nude lipsticks to reds. “There’s definitely nothing we need to reformulate,” she said.
Fragrance is where she expects a strong connection. Beckham described her scents as “my autobiography through scent” and is curious how customers will wear them in a market that popularized layering. “They work as individual fragrances, but if you do want to layer them, I love how people can take my product and personalize them,” she said.
Eyes are the other draw. The Satin Kajal Liner is the brand’s global bestseller, and Beckham is eager to hear from women in the region with a long tradition of lined eyes. “There is nothing like it, and I’m excited for the women in the Middle East to try it,” she said. She shared that she wears the Cocoa shade daily, and often reaches for Cinnamon, which she thinks will be a hit in the region. Sometimes she adds a fine line of navy or dark green at the outer edge to match an outfit. “It’s a non-scary way to also have fun and update your look.”
Beckham encourages women to experiment with different shades of eyeliner from her best selling range
Beckham said she splits her time equally between fashion and beauty, and that beauty has brought new customers to her fashion business globally. The two also feed each other on the runway. “I cross-pollinate constantly,” she said, pointing to the red lip and flawless skin at her latest Paris show. “I can use beauty on the girls to finish off the character for the season and really make a point of view with regards to my fashion story.”
Chief executive officer Lauren Edelman told WWD the Middle East could become one of the brand’s top five markets, alongside the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. “From what I’ve experienced in the region so far, I’m expecting a pretty blockbuster launch for us,” she said. Edelman expects fragrance to make up a much larger share of sales in the region than it does globally, with the kajal liner holding its number-one spot.
“The Middle East has one of the most discerning beauty audiences in the world. People who know exactly what excellence looks like and won’t settle for less,” Edelman said. “That is precisely who we create for.”
Edelman said the retail partners were chosen to protect brand equity as the business scales. Beckham’s fashion label already works with Ounass and Bloomingdale’s, which opened its first regional store at The Dubai Mall in 2010. When she toured the mega mall she said she was struck by “this beautiful window into the world, not only for tourism but for the local market as well.”
The brand expects to be in more than 300 doors by the end of 2026. Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are under consideration for the coming years, but Edelman is pacing the rollout. “We really try to go as best as we can, not as fast as we can,” she said. “I could easily be opening far more doors at a faster pace than we are doing. We want to do things right.”
Beckham, for her part, is already planning a return trip to the Middle East now that beauty will also be there. “I cannot wait to come back and talk to more of my customers,” she said, “because ultimately it’s always about giving my customer what she wants.”