What was the first perfume you bought with your own money?

The first perfume I ever bought was from The Body Shop. I mean, it was a Saturday afternoon in the ’80s, probably at Lakeside Mall with my mom. There used to be body oils or aromatherapy oils scented with vanilla and strawberry. They are very straightforward, which I like.

Spice Girls Impulse body spray from the 90s was my first fragrance. Do you have any memories of its creation?

At the time, apart from Walkers crisps, Chupa Chups lollies and Pepsi, there was little the Spice Girls didn’t promote. So we actually have nothing to do with the scent, although we may agree on the silhouettes – if I remember correctly, I think there were five nude silhouettes on the cover of the spray. Even though it’s been a long time, we definitely had a lot of fun. I remember during the video event we all looked naked, walking through a street full of people.

What inspired you to launch this fragrance line?

This is definitely my most personal creative project to date. I’ve been working on these scents with Jerome [Epinette, Robertet’s master perfumer] for eight years, and this is my version of an autobiography. This is a big project and I smell a lot of Jerome’s redesign.

I’ve been a perfume lover for a long time, so I’ve never felt the need to use this creative space to tell a very real love story between my husband and I, our travels, and my journey with myself. To be accepted in such a vulnerable way. But I’m also excited. It feels very honest and organic; now seems like the perfect time to release the scent, being my fifth baby. In fact, David is my fifth child and the fragrance line is my sixth.

I exposed myself and showed a vulnerability I’d never shown before

Do you get excited looking back on your life when you were creating fragrances?

You know, that was really emotional. I think the public feels like they’re always walking with me. They remember me being in the Spice Girls, they remember me meeting David, marrying him, sitting on the throne at the wedding and having the baby, then moving to Spain and the US. There are so many people – not just in the UK but around the world – who feel they have been part of my journey over the past 27 years. But they didn’t know these stories, I never told them.

This made a huge impression on me when I was shooting a fragrance campaign in New York with Steven Klein. I was in a big studio in Brooklyn, and there was a huge projection of the Portofino landscape behind me, with a crew of over 100 people, and I was standing in front of that projection, standing on a rock, holding on to a Balancing on the railing in crazy high heels, completely submerged in the water. I looked back and saw Portofino and I was so excited. I almost cried because it was real and these stories were very real to me and David. I guess I was a little nervous because I was putting myself out there and showing a vulnerability that I’d never shown before—and the story behind each scent was just as emotional as the next.

What was it like filming with Steven Klein? Do you have an idea of ​​what an ad campaign should look like?

This is awesome. When David and I first moved to Los Angeles a few years ago, we both worked with Steven on a photoshoot for W Magazine. Steven is incredible and no one else can capture these images in my mind. I love the way he photographs women, I love that women are never victims. She’s in control, she’s powerful, she’s powerful. His photos are iconic and I look back at the photos we took with him years ago and they are still relevant today. He’s also a really nice guy and passionate about what he does. The day we shot the commercial, we started at 6 a.m. and finished around midnight, and Steven and I were a lot like each other. We could have finished dinner but we both wanted to move on because we still felt like we had more to give.

I always like to work with the best people; for example, I work with Augustinus Bader on skincare, and I want to work with Jerome on perfume. I only wanted to work with the best in the class, and I needed Steven for the photo shoot – there was no other competition.

What are the bottles inspired by?

I think these are bottles that my customers will enjoy looking at. The color palette was inspired by a mix of one of my old fashion collections and a small vintage miniature perfume bottle that I have had on my vision board over the years, the color of the bottle is a vibrant turquoise which inspired Boto Fino’s bottle. When I was eight years old, my mother’s friends gave me empty bottles of Coco Chanel and I took the bottles and put them on my dresser and just stared at them; perfume has always been a dream of mine

With such a specific fragrance name, what was the inspiration for Portofino 97?

When David and I first met, we kept our relationship secret. Someone said at the time: „Don’t take pictures, get to know yourselves privately because once the paparazzi find out you’re dating it’s going to be hard to have any private life.” I was in the Spice Girls at the time and we were hugely successful around the world, big Wei plays for Manchester United. So during the first phase of our relationship we kept it very quiet and met in places where no one would see us.

A few months after we met in 1997, we decided to take a trip to Portofino. It was the first time we’d gone anywhere together, the first time leaving London or Manchester. We stayed in the most beautiful hotel in Portofino, Hotel Splendido, and I remember how fresh the sheets in the hotel smelled, I remember the lights, I remember the smell of the hotel, and how exciting that time was. It was very exciting and I remember it like it was yesterday, when Jerome and I were working on the fragrance there was no doubt what it would be called.

What was the inspiration for Suite 302? This name fascinates me.

After visiting Portofino, we got a taste of travel. So if we get a chance to spend some time alone, even after we have kids, Paris is a super happy place for us. We have celebrated many anniversaries and birthdays in Paris and I feel lucky to be able to do two fashion shows in Paris now. I feel very at home in Paris, just like David.

We went to Paris a lot in the 1990s. It was a time when everything felt very luxurious: my clothes, the restaurants we went to, the way the paparazzi followed us from the moment we arrived. I remember the hotel we stayed at; it all felt very romantic and very cool, but also had a relaxed feel to it. One of the hotels we stayed at was the Ritz and we were lucky enough to stay in one of their most beautiful suites – No. 302. When I came up with a name for this scent, it just felt right. Even if we now had the chance to escape somewhere for 24 hours, it would always be Paris.

The final scent is San Ysidro Drive. What’s the story behind this?

This was the address that David and I lived at when we lived in Los Angeles because my husband was on the football team there. I have to say, living in Los Angeles is awesome. That’s when I really got to know myself, accept myself, and love myself. I’ve done a lot of work for myself in Los Angeles and am definitely more aware of wellness there because it’s such a big part of the culture. We went hiking with the kids, we went surfing – I mean, I looked, but they were surfing. We had a really wonderful time in nature with the kids.

I also frequently go to the Crystal Farm in Malibu, where crystals are “grown.” It’s not very big but they have a lovely little shop where I bought some very large crystals like the one on the table in front of my office and the huge one I bought in the London store in Dover crystal. They know the store really well and I love educating myself and learning about the different energies. It’s not as glamorous as I said, half of it is actually a farm, but it’s beautiful.

In Los Angeles, I also really taught myself meditation. For the first time I felt content, happy and at peace with myself. It has been a great and happy experience for our family and this scent truly symbolizes that. Smells like Los Angeles.

Does David have a favourite scent from the collection?

If I go out with David, I wear Suite 302. I don’t like to use the word „sexy” but that’s the word I would use to describe this scent. This is the richest and you can really smell the cherry and tobacco. It’s very cool, very chic, very elegant. There are many types of perfumes and the market is very crowded. So I wanted it to be a really recognizable Victoria Beckham fragrance. But David loved them, and he was proud to see how passionate I was about scents and how much time, energy, and care I put into every step of the process.

I’m a little nervous. At one point I thought, „Oh my gosh, I’ve never told these stories so intimately before.” But he never said he was uncomfortable with it, because I thought it was very honest and very, very sweet. You know, we’ve had a great relationship over the years.

Over the years I imagine you’ve travelled a lot – do you actually enjoy it?

I love so much. I used to travel a lot with the Spice Girls, but we were so young that I didn’t really appreciate a lot of the places I went to. Our schedule is so tight that I probably spend most of my time complaining about being tired instead of getting up and actually doing things.

Where have you been recently?

David was on a business trip to Tokyo, so the kids and I decided to tag along and keep him company. It was a great experience as I hadn’t been there since 1997. Being able to share these experiences with the children is even more special. I think the older you get, the more you like to really get out and experience culture and food. We did some incredible things in Tokyo and it was great to experience and create memories with the kids. We took the shinkansen to Kyoto and visited a bamboo forest to visit a temple. We also went to the Team Lab in Tokyo, which was really impressive, and we also went to the Team Lab in Miami with the kids.

Of course the food here is very different to what we are used to in the UK, but the restaurants here are fantastic. The same goes for shopping – vintage shopping is great. So I drew inspiration for my own collection, but it’s something we can all enjoy as a family because even the kids love shopping for some vintage pieces.

What’s been your greatest/most transformative travel adventure?

Moving to Los Angeles was truly a moment of self-growth, acceptance, and love for myself. When we lived in the UK and Spain there were a lot of paparazzi and we got used to it day by day. But because we were on the other side of the world in Los Angeles, we were able to get away from it all. During that time, we were free to be in nature, hike with the kids, and just be ourselves. As weird as it sounds, I firmly believe that when we moved to Los Angeles, I became my true self.

As a seasoned traveller, what’s the one thing you won’t travel without?

I have a Yeti bottle that I take with me everywhere. David had one too and we were both totally obsessed with it. It reminds you to stay hydrated, one of the most important things you can do is stay hydrated.

How do you make the most of your travel time?

I prefer to take advantage of this opportunity to read. I’ve only recently started listening to podcasts and don’t watch much TV. Right now I’m reading the It’s Not a Sorry memoir by Abi Morgan, author of the TV show Split. She is indeed a great writer. I also love Matt Haig’s books – I go through different

Do you have a strict travel beauty routine?

Harper is only 11 years old and has an incredible beauty routine. She is a beauty expert in her own right, be it skin care or makeup. I carry a lot of beauty products with me when I travel. I use my Energy Serum and Cell Renewal Moisturizer, but I also use other Augustinus Bader products. I love his face wash, or use Sarah Chapman Ultimate Cleanse, it works great. Before cleansing, I use Bioderma wipes to remove makeup and occasionally use Barbara Sturm Night Serum. I use eye masks and love the ones from the 111Skin Black Diamond range. It’s always a very intense routine. And it’s not just one makeup bag, there might be four or five bags. I try to travel as light as possible, but I also like to carry all of my products with me.

Do you ever visit any spas?

I’ve been to some amazing medical spas in Europe, like Villa Stephanie in Baden-Baden. David and I love going to these medical spas every year because I think it’s so important to focus on your health and take care of yourself inside and out. We also loved Villa Stephanie because the hiking in the nearby Black Forest was incredible.

What wellness routines do you have at home?

I think meditation is very important and I use it as a way to relax. I also believe in crystal energy, so when I meditate, travel, or before a show, I hold one of my crystals. The kids love crystals too, and so does David. I like to stay as healthy as possible and David and I work out every day. Then David makes a protein smoothie and we all take vitamins and check in on our health as often as possible, so it’s a big part of our lives. We also go out and have a few drinks, so it’s all about balance – and being in nature as much as possible.

I also believe in positive energy, in a sense giving the universe its mission to manifest things. I do this all the time and I have a vision board. I try not to focus on anything negative, I like to always have a positive attitude, which drives my husband crazy because when he gets grumpy because he doesn’t like mornings, I get to be positive. I wake up every morning with a really good, positive vibe, you know?

Victoria Beckham’s fragrance collection is available for presale at victoriabeckhambeauty.com