Victoria Beckham’s Estée Lauder collaboration has been a phenomenal success, and now Mr Beckham is switching his attention to skincare routines and haircare. Here’s what you need to know about his new brand, House 99
Victoria Beckham’s fashion line flies, she can’t keep her luxe makeup range with Estée Lauder in stock and she announced at the end of last year that she has a pretty major project on the go with Reebok for 2018 . It’s fair to say that she’s storming the sartorial, beauty and business worlds in general, and while Mr Becks has been a brand ambassador for many a fashion and underwear brand in his time, he too is now making the leap into skincare, haircare and grooming, with the launch of House 99 in partnership with L’Oréal. Here are the vitals…
House 99: What’s in a name?
The 21 piece line is so called as David wants to create a community feel- think one giant global barbershop as his ‘House’, with 99 as significant as it was a cracking year for Becks- his team Manchester United won the treble in 1999, he married Victoria and his eldest son Brooklyn was born. Close observers will note that he also has ‘99’ tattooed onto his hand. Which brings us to some of the themes of his skincare products in particular...
The products
David has gone in all guns blazing to launch a decent haul from the get-go, including a Bold Statement Tattoo Body Moisturiser SPF 30, a spray-on body smoother that also has a protective effect if you happen to be inked. Given that Beckham has over 40 himself, you can see where the impetus for design and colour preservation may have emerged from.
For David, the ethos of the brand is “about being comfortable, trying new things and shaping your next look. I created House 99 to give people the inspiration as well as the right products to experiment and feel completely at home doing so.” Coming from a man who’s never been afraid to put himself out there style and grooming wise, from sarongs to mohicans, he’s certainly a good role model in terms of unapologetic self-expression, and he’s brought some stylish mates on board to contribute a bit of magic to product development- the likes of Going Big Thick and Purifying Shampoo and Seriously Groomed Beard & Hair Balm have been brought to life with the help of one of Beckham’s favourite barbers, the Lisbon based Fabio Marquez. This isn’t just another superficial arm of brand Beckham, however- we’re told that David has been actively involved in every step and stage of product innovation and branding, from moodboards to lab-testing to fragrance, product name and logo design, and of course he uses the stuff himself.
The vibe
Amongst Beckham’s mission statements is to make changing your look and style, and caring about your skin, hair and general appearance not only acceptable as a part of “male culture”, but embraced as a form of creativity and as a celebration of modern masculinity. As above, he’s clearly living his best life in this regard, and he wants men of the world to do so too. The range takes in everyday skincare basics alongside more specialised styling products and tattoo care, harnessing the latest in skincare tech from the L’Oréal labs, with performance claims such as “sweat resistant” and “humidity proof and a focus on troubleshooting (hence a volumising shampoo).
Alongside the range, House 99 will also launch a digital platform- registering will allow you to access exclusive content and member privileges.
The launch
We’re awaiting information on price points, but House 99 will be available exclusively at Harvey Nichols from 1st February, with a roll out into other retailers across 19 countries from 1st March. World domination surely next ensues.