David Beckham, 42, may be retired from professional soccer, but he’s made a profitable living as a fashion icon and businessman who has turned his eye for fashion into a lucrative career. Beckham has created underwear for H&M, produced an entire range of fragrances, and is an ambassador for Adidas. He’s also a business partner with Kent & Curwen, a British heritage menswear brand.
The Englishman is doing well for himself. His company, DB Ventures Limited, earns a lot of coin from the David Beckham “brand,” taking in around $71,000 CAD per day.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, he revealed that the last article of clothing he bought was a Prada suit (because he loved the cut) and that he stays in model shape by running and “chasing” after his kids with wife Victoria Beckham: Brooklyn, 19; Romeo, 15; Cruz, 13; and Harper, 6.
Beckham also pointed out a couple of mistakes men make with fashion: plucking their eyebrows too much and choosing the wrong length for shorts. He noted, “They need to sit just under the knee, in my opinion.”
Beckham’s Style Defined
The former soccer pro mixes up his style, depending on the event. He favours tailored pieces and tuxes for formal, red-carpet soirees but also enjoys wearing a leather jacket with a basic white t-shirt or athletic wear.
Beckham has been spotted in denim button-down shirts, slouch beanies, and fitted t-shirts. He likes cable knit and cashmere sweaters along with tweed blazers and khaki pants.
His colour palette often includes brown, grey, and navy business suits. He wears monogrammed shirts, long-sleeved Henley shirts, denim jackets, sports coats and wool trousers.
He often wears Christian Louboutin “New Orleans” lace-up derby shoes during formal events but likes Adidas sneakers during casual outings (it helps that he’s an ambassador for the brand). He also likes Ralph Lauren jeans.
Clothes are key to Beckham’s brand. During his soccer days, he was admittedly focused on how he looked before and after a game. He told the Evening Standard in 2017 that these days it’s all about presentation.: “Whether it’s my hair, the shoes, the clothes; whether it’s a pair of jeans or a tracksuit.”
Beckham’s Fashion Missteps
That’s not to say he hasn’t made a fashion faux pas now and again—like that time in 1998 when he was ridiculed for wearing a sarong over a pair of pants while hanging out with then-fiancée Victoria during the World Cup in France.
Looking back, Beckham thinks he was simply ahead of his time.
“Twenty years ago when I wore that sarong, people were shocked,” he told The Telegraph in January 2018. “It was an outrage: ‘Why are you wearing that? What were you thinking?’ Today no-one bats an eyelid if a guy wears a sarong in the street.”
He and Victoria were famously photographed wearing matching leather outfits back in the ‘90s. He told late-night talk show host James Corden that the look was not his idea. He admitted that he regretted “most” of the looks but that they were “right at the time.”
The Beckhams also wore matching purple ensembles on their wedding day. Their infant son Brooklyn wore purple too. “To be fair, that was like 1999,” Beckham told Corden in defence. “But purple, all matching, cowboy hat was probably not the greatest idea.”
