It has taken a year to transform Number 36 Dover Street from a traditional fishing gear shop into the VB mothership, and the designer chose conceptual female architect Farshid Moussavi for the job (who also worked on the Olympic park). The risk of commissioning someone who had never worked in retail before has paid off – the space is stunning, with a dramatic atrium that runs the height of the building. The basement will serve as a space for pop-ups and a personal shopping suite.
The ground floor currently houses a wall of luxury accessories and an edit of the slightly cheaper Victoria by Victoria Beckham label, while the first floor features her catwalk collection – also recognisable from its many outings on Hollywood’s finest.
VB's experience as a devoted shopper has obviously inspired some of the features in store, including a capacious changing room. In each room, as well as jumbo mirrors and careful lighting, there are chairs and benches ‘for a child to sit on’, she explains. Over by the rails, there is more seating – ‘so that a husband can wait while his wife is looking at a dress’.
There are more nods to the idea of the indulgent husband – assistants are trained to spot a helpless man, and ‘help them select the right piece, take them through the collections’.
Beckham has joked in the press about getting her family behind the till – a likely story. But it’s a fair bet that visitors to the store will catch a glimpse of its proprietress. With the family seat firmly restored to London, the designer will be making frequent jaunts from her Kensington home. Which is why there was only one choice when it came to choosing a city for her store: ‘I’m from London, I live here, my kids go to school here. It just felt like the only place I would ever do it.’
As featured in the 100 best shops in London