World Cup & WAGs
Long before Bukayo and Tolami, before Ashley and Cheryl, there was David and Victoria Beckham.
Iconic, daring and dynamic, Brand Beckham moulded the modern power couple in its own image — built for the tabloid era and engineered to thrive in the attention economy that followed it. No other couple in modern British history has so diligently nurtured and crafted their public persona for commercial gain.
David and Victoria Beckham built their brand on the combined equity of two distinct cultural figures: a working-class footballing icon at the summit of global influence, and a pop star — out of one of the biggest girl bands in history — turned fashion designer.
Their pairing was alchemy, and a generational moment. It gave them access to audiences that rarely overlap: sports fans and fashion consumers, tabloid readers and luxury buyers.
The couples full-throated embrace of media has led to them crossing paths with TC over the years – so for this special edition, here’s a look at TC's contribution to the making of 'Posh and Becks':
David Beckham by David LaChapelle for GQ (2002)
As the Art Director of GQ magazine, TC commissioned David LaChapelle, the American photographer known for his kitsch pop surrealism, to photograph David Beckham for the June 2002 cover – just in time for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Beckham was at peak of his powers – England captain and a global cultural icon. LaChapelle shooting him at that moment was the collision of two maximalist sensibilities: Beckham's carefully managed image and LaChapelle's hyper-constructed visual language.
The result was astonishing. A homo-erotic collection of images of Beckham oiled-up (TC directing the constant reapplication during the shoot), topless with fingernails painted, draped in the flag of St George. This was a radical upheaval of a stoic, ‘ladish’ version of Englishness and arguably marked the advent of the modern male ‘metrosexual’.
Plans were made for a Beckham x LaChapelle book to further memorialise the collaboration, but they never materialised. We’re pleased to share some exploratory proofs from the era and if the two Davids are interested… you know where we are.
Victoria Beckham for Wallpaper* x Stellar Works (2014)
Twelve years later, as Wallpaper* Editor-in-Chief, TC invited Victoria Beckham to judge the 2014 Wallpaper* Design Awards. Other members of the jury that year were restauranteur Michael Chow, designer Ron Gilad, filmmaker Spike Jonze, architect Thom Mayne and gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac.
In an alignment of divine fate, the designer of the year winners were architects Neri & Hu who continue to enjoy a prolific series of collaborations with Japanese furniture brand Stellar Works — a brand of which TC & Friends is now the artistic director. Here we see Victoria astride her favourite ‘Ming’ chair designed by Neri & Hu for Stellar Works. Photographed by Sølve Sundsbø
