LONDON – Later this month Mango will unveil its highest-profile collaboration to date, a collection of tailoring, slipdresses, knitwear and accessories designed with Victoria Beckham in a muted palette of summery “island” colors.
The Victoria Beckham x Mango collaboration, set for release on April 23, is the latest in a series of projects between the Spanish high street giant and international names including Italian tailor Boglioli, influencer Camille Charrière, and L.A. brand Simon Miller.
Mango said the Beckham collection will include tailoring, dresses and versatile knitwear, in addition to “day-to-night” bags, accessories and shoes. Prices will be higher than the usual Mango collection, “reflecting the high quality of fabrics and details” in each piece, the brand said.
The retailer, which is marking its 40th anniversary this year, said it has followed and admired Beckham for a long time.
“We always try to choose brands or talents whom we admire and who represent similar values to ours. We love her signature style and how she has managed to claim a place of her own in the fashion industry. This collaboration reflects her immaculate style, and Mango’s contemporary design,” Mango said.
Beckham described the collection as “sensual, considered and feminine,” and added her aim in working with Mango was to “speak to a wider audience in a way that feels relevant to my brand and retains my aesthetic” and DNA.
“I am very proud of what we have created together. It feels very modern to bring the two brands together and build on our expertise, and I was very impressed by the Mango teams’ level of execution, attention to detail and savoir-faire,” said Beckham.
Victoria Beckham, right, with Justi Ruano, Mango women’s creative director.
Beckham set out to create “a conscious, modern wardrobe, perfect for the summer months. There is a cheekiness, but it is also very put together. I was inspired by the iconic French film ‘La Piscine’, and more specifically by Jane Birkin’s character and ease. She is all about natural beauty, is highly feminine, and has a real sense of freedom.”
She described the color palette as “muted, very focused and relaxed, with island tones for an easy summer elegance.” Her favorite pieces include the slipdresses and the tailoring in particular. “I have always played with both the feminine and masculine and want to offer an effortless women’s wardrobe that is versatile and wearable,” she added.
In many ways Beckham was a natural choice for Mango. Her brand has added resonance due to the Beckham family’s four-year stay in Madrid when David Beckham was playing soccer for Real Madrid in the mid-2000s.
“They were a very famous couple long before living in Spain, and even more so after they lived here,” Mango said. “Their iconic style as a couple has been always very recognizable and appreciated, both in Spain, and everywhere else.”
Beckham’s business has been going from strength to strength, and a deal with a high street giant like Mango will further expand her brand’s reach and potentially tap into a new customer base.
As reported, Beckham’s brand achieved net sales of 100 million euros in 2023 as a result of a compound annual growth rate of 35 percent since 2020. Each of the key activities of the house is profitable at EBITDA level, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
The brand’s first fragrance collection launched last September and has been performing above expectations, and Beckham was recently in Paris opening a new corner at the Galeries Lafayette flagship, part of a push to open shops-in-shop internationally.
Mango isn’t the first high street brand to forge high-profile brand partnerships: H&M, Zara and Uniqlo have been working with big-name talent on limited-edition collections for years.
Mango said its collaborations program “pushes the team to develop product from a different perspective, and with a different point of view compared to our [in-house] collections. This allows us to speak to different customers, and definitely brings value, and an edge, to the brand. Mango’s company strategy is very much focused on elevating the brand, and these collaborations contribute to this objective.”
The retail giant added that it worked collaboratively with Beckham and her team, “and we think the collection represents her style in a very faithful way.”
Mango said both design teams, headed by Victoria Beckham on one side and Justi Ruano, Mango women’s creative director, on the other, worked together from the first mood boards and ideas to the final execution of the pieces.
“There were several meetings in Barcelona and London to ensure the result was what both teams wanted,” Mango added.
A look from the new Mango x Victoria Beckham collection.
Viridiana Morandini/WWD
Collaborations allow Mango to raise its game — and its prices, too.
Mango said its customer is willing to pay extra not only for high-profile collaboration pieces but for in-house brands as well. Those higher-priced offers include Selection, a fashion-forward collection that Mango presents every season, and Capsule, which specializes in “event” dressing.
Those strategies, and others, are working.
Mango’s turnover in fiscal 2023 increased by 15 percent to more than 3.1 billion euros. At constant exchange, it rose by 20 percent. Net profit more than doubled to 172 million euros.
The Spanish fast fashion company operates some 2,700 stores in more than 115 markets worldwide, and the international business accounts for nearly 80 percent of turnover. Top markets in terms of sales are Spain, France, Germany, Turkey and the U.S.
According to Mango, the U.S. is forecast to become one of the top three most-important regions in the coming years.
Mango made its aspirations clear with the opening of a Fifth Avenue flagship in 2022, and subsequent expansion into the wider U.S. market. The three-level, 22,600-square-foot store at 711 Fifth Avenue wraps around the northeast corner of 55th Street and offers women’s merchandise, and a floor devoted to menswear, where there is also a tailoring station.
On the back of the 2023 sales momentum, and to mark the 40th anniversary year, Mango has unveiled a new, two-year strategic plan called 4E.
The objective is to achieve sales in excess of 4 billion euros in 2026. The company said it will get there by opening more than 500 new stores, and by elevating the brand’s value “through aspiration, quality and a unique style designed in Barcelona.” It also plans to offer “excellent customer service” and embrace sustainability as a “core value.”
Mango has been thinking laterally, beyond collections and stores. In January, the company opened its first shop on Roblox, where users are able to purchase Mango Teen digital garments and products for their avatars.
At the time, Mango said it was committed to innovation and to the construction of an ecosystem that’s “able to offer differentiated experiences, and products and services for its customers in the physical, digital, and virtual worlds.”
Also in January, Mango revealed an investment in Flipflow, a start-up for market analytics, price monitoring and real-time stock control in different marketplaces. The investment was channelled through its Mango StartUp Studio accelerator, which launched two years ago.
The accelerator has invested in companies such as Union Avatars, a technology start-up for digital identity and the development of avatars in different styles, and Ziknes, a 3D printing start-up for architectural and design components using sustainable materials.