A day after celebrating her NYFW SS18 runway show success with David Beckham and her eldest son Brooklyn, a new interview with fashion creative Victoria Beckham has revealed exactly how she juggles a career as an internationally renowned designer, style icon, and mother-of-four.
And from the sounds of it, it's pretty darn exhausting.
In a new interview with the Sunday Times, the former Spice Girl revealed how she manages to maintain a big business and big family, simultaneously.
'It's all about managing time and having a good team of people around you. It's not easy. I'm a bit of a control freak. I love what I do, and I always want to be the best – whether that's designing an amazing collection, putting on the best fashion show, creating a make-up collection, being the best mum, the best wife,' she said.
The key to balancing her career and a family comes down to meticulous organisation.
'I get up quite early, around 6am, and do an hour in the gym before the kids get up, then I give them breakfast and David or I take them to school. I'll then fit in another hour's workout before I go to the office. I'm very disciplined, I have to be.
'It's really the only time in the day I get to myself.
'No one comes into the gym, no one follows me in there with a laptop. If I'm standing in the kitchen for too long, then laptops will come floating in my direction. Someone always wants something approved, something signed off. Other than the children no one dares come into the gym,' she added.
Having learnt how to work hard, prioritise her family, one thing Beckham hasn't quite managed to tackle is holding down a thriving social life.
'Two of those I can do, three isn't doable. We socialise a lot as a family instead.'
As a result, Victoria and her husband David Beckham devised a family rule early on that makes sure there is at least one parent with the children at all times.
'We never travel at the same time. And that's really paid off. We're a close family. We socialise a lot together, we laugh a lot together. The kids are very funny. David can be very funny – you wouldn't expect that. Brooklyn is hilarious. They all are in their own ways. They're happy kids,' she admitted.
Admitting her assistant is 'frightening' but someone she listens to when she needs to stop working, the former singer revealed she can only vaguely remember the last time she had a lie in.
'There was one weekend when Harper didn't want to go to ballet, Cruz didn't want to go to boxing and Romeo didn't want to do tennis, so we had a family day at home. I could actually sit down and pick up my Kindle,' she added.
In terms of her eponymously named fashion line, the 43-year-old maintains that her career ethos is much like it was when she was a pop star in one of the world's most famous and influential girl bands.
'I suppose for me it started off with girl power and empowering women through music,' she said.
'Now it's about empowering women through fashion. I love fashion. And I love what we design and produce in the two ateliers that I have here in London. Of course, it's not easy building a business. You have to wear many hats, and I had to learn quickly. I'm heavily involved in the creative and the business sides of the company,' she added.
With homes in London, Oxfordshire and Los Angeles, a son now studying in New York, and a cross-Atlantic based business, Victoria insists that taking care of her health is of utmost priority when traveling the world and managing a busy schedule.
'I enjoy eating healthily,' she admitted. 'And I'm in the fortunate position where it's easy for me. I can afford to eat well.
'I expect a lot from my body and I'm never sick. You have to be kind to your body if you expect a lot from it,' she added.
You sure do, Victoria.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
