As Cruz scores his first magazine cover and David signs up to a new branding agency, the Beckhams are making a bid to expand their empire
If going viral is the metric we live or die by, Cruz Beckham is currently living his #bestlife. This week, images of the 17-year-old in his tighty whities on the cover of i-D have been trending on every platform that counts.
The shoot for the magazine’s Out Of Body issue features the teenager in various stages of undress with pink hair and a pair of silver grillz (the z is important). The crotch-grabbing and hyper-sexualised styling have sparked conversations about the double standards around the objectification of boys and girls. For their part, Cruz and i-D say the Steven Klein shoot was in homage to a similar one done with a boxer short-clad David Beckham for Arena HOMME+ some twenty years earlier.
The debate about the sexualisation of young people in the public sphere is of course valid, but the fact remains: Cruz has pulled off the sort of internet-breaking pop culture moment that most of his up-and-coming contemporaries can only dream of.
It’s just the kind of stunt that his mum and dad used to execute so perfectly - albeit for a OK! magazine-reading, print-centric generation. Recall if you will the iconic Posh and Becks wedding thrones, the wonderfully naff 2007 TV special Victoria Beckham: Coming to America and David’s infamous sarong (it was a different time).
The ease with which the Beckham boys - Brooklyn, 22; Romeo, 19 and Cruz, 17 - manage to execute a viral ‘moment’ is no surprise. They have learned from the best. Long before Instagram followers were currency and a single post could result in a multi-million pound pay-day, David and Victoria invented the concept of personal branding.
“The approach the Beckhams took to brand building was uncommon for celebrities in that it was strategic, well-advised and purposefully planned,” says Andy Milligan author of Brand It Like Beckham. “The alignment of their personal interests and passions with business and philanthropic pursuits, has enabled the brand to be sustained over time. They’re not ‘going through the motions’. For example. David’s role in football may have evolved from player to owner but it’s still sustained by his passion for football.”
Nineties celebrity journalist and founder of Beak Communications Dean Piper agrees: “The Beckhams were extremely forward thinking with their approach to building a ‘brand’ all those years ago. Before the Kardashians came traipsing through the showbiz world, the Beckhams lead supreme. They worked hard, always had good people around them and their main objective was to protect the brand at all costs. It’s no surprise Brand Beckham is where it is right now as a global entity that shows no sign of slowing down.”
And now, as their offspring step tentatively out of their stylish shadow, only more fame can follow. "The Beckham children coming of age is only going to strengthen brand Beckham,” says Piper. “It’s a really exciting time for the Beckhams now the boys are all heading out there into the world. Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo are the most wanted invitees in town and the magazines are clambering for exclusives shoots. It will be interesting to see how things move on. Often you see the children struggle in the limelight of their famous parents with parties, drugs and rehab. But these aren’t your typical showbiz kids. They’ve been brought up well, have level heads and appear to want to work hard and have a career in showbiz.”
So, what’s next for Brand Beckham 2.0?
Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz
Star power: Salt Bae, who?
Footballer, photographer... chef? After a stint at New York’s Parsons School of Design, an internship with Rankin and a snarkily-received attempt at photography (in his 2017 book, What I See, the blurred outline of an elephant with the caption: ‘so hard to photograph but incredible to see’ inspired many a meme), the eldest Beckham scion has landed on a career in the kitchen.
In Cookin’ With Brooklyn, his Ronsil weekly social media series, viewers are brought along for the “start of my food journey.” In what could be taken as a warning, he adds: “I’m not a chef yet.”
In an interview with this publication last year, he said: “I’ve always been into trying new food, even if it is sometimes a bit not that great. I remember trying jellied eels because I’ve always liked pie and mash — and I did not like them at all.” According to some reports, it can cost £73,000 and took a team of 62 to create an episode (the one where he made a bagel).
Brooklyn’s earning potential is arguably the biggest of the three. At 17, he landed his first commercial deal - £100K to promote a Huawei phone - and last year was paid £1 million to be the face of Superdry. His wedding to Nicola Peltz, daughter of American billionaire business tycoon Nelson Peltz, 26, with whom he has already starred alongside in a Pepe Jeans campaign, will be the wedding of the year.
Romeo Beckham and Mia Regan
A complete chip off the old block, Millfield school-graduate Romeo Beckham plays professional football for Fort Lauderdale CF, the reserve team of Inter Miami MLS, which is owned by dad David.
But don’t be thinking that means he’ll have an easy ride. Inter Miami’s head coach Phil Neville said after Romeo’s debut last September: “I think the first thing that David said to me was, ‘You have got to be harder on him than anyone else. He has got to work harder than anyone else to get into that team because there will be questions, there will be expectations on his shoulders.’”
As is befitting Golden Balls 2.0, Romeo knows his angles on and off the pitch - he made his modelling debut for Burberry aged ten and recently signed a £1.2 million deal with Puma. With model, TikTok star and It Girl girlfriend Mia Regan by his side, Romeo is on course to out-fame his siblings. At just 18, Regan has worked with Marc Jacobs, Chaos and Balmain. A Cotswolds native, she regularly appears in beauty tutorials for her mum-in-law’s Victoria Beckham Beauty instagram and was spotted sitting f’row with VB this London Fashion Week.
Star power: Watch out, Bieber
It was an impromptu on-stage moment with mum during the 2008 Spice Girls world tour at Madison Square Garden which gave the youngest Beckham boy a yearning for pop super-stardom. “I was doing head spins and stuff [in front of 20,000 people], which is great to look back at now,” he told i-D. Years later, it was listening to Cruz sing along to Beyoncé ’s Love on Top in the car when mum and dad apparently thought, ‘hey, this kid might have something.’ “I was still really little! My voice hadn’t really developed, so I could just sing that high!” Queen Bey can rest easy for now.
Cruz, who’s just turned 17 and celebrated with a Billie Eilish-themed birthday cake, is yet to release any music - unless you count 2016’s “If Every Day Was Christmas”, a very sweet charity song featuring the line: ‘I don’t ever want today to leave or ever change, I wouldn’t mind the winter snow if the seasons stayed the same.’ But it is a career in music on which Cruz has set his sights.
He is, he says, taking his time and learning his craft and has self-taught himself how to play the guitar, piano and drums. When he’s not deep into YouTube tutorials, it is Ed Sheeran he turns to for a jam. The one-man pop powerhouse bought Cruz an acoustic guitar for his birthday. “I went and spent a while chatting to Cruz about his music and teaching him how to write a song,” said Ed. Over in the States, Cruz spends time with Poo Bear. Not a cuddly toy, but a producer who’s worked with Usher and Justin Bieber. Maintaining a career in music isn’t easy though, even if you have Beckham stardust on your side. “Crafting a cool image and working on brand deals can be particularly challenging, authentic collaborations are going to be hard to come by,” says Nik Speller, director at marketing and brand strategy leaders Influencer.
Instagram followers: combined total of 100 million
“The unique appeal of brand Beckham initially was due to their roots in music, fashion and football,” says Milligan “It meant they could get global coverage on ‘front, middle and back pages’ - there was something to interest almost anyone. It’s hard to think of a comparable couple with that breadth of appeal.” Posh and Becks have turned this powerful mix into a combined net worth of £380m.
Since quitting football in 2013, David has amassed a mega portfolio including tie-ups with Adidas, watch brand Tudor, life insurer AIA, and Haig Club whisky. His instagram is peppered with #sponcon. He reportedly - and controversially due to its human rights record - signed a ten-year £150m deal to be an ambassador for Qatar and become the face of the Qatar World Cup. He also part-owns Inter Miami football club. Business Becks also has shares worth £1.4 million in online gaming firm Guild Esports and is in the process of making a Disney+ reality series called Save our Squad. Just this week, he’s signed up with new brand agency, Authentic Brands Group. “I’ve been so lucky to have had such amazing support in my business life… now I’m proud to announce that I’m partnering with @Jamiejsalter and joining the @ABG_nyc family. I’m excited for this new chapter… Great things to come…” he wrote on Instagram. ABG will “co-own and manage Beckham’s global brand.”
The Beckham family celebrate New Year
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham with sons Brooklyn Beckham, Cruz Beckham and Romeo Beckham (front left to right) arriving for the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards at the LG Arena, Birmingham
Victoria Adams with David Beckham sporting his famous Sarong outfit
Victoria Adams and David Beckham announce their engagement in 1998
David Beckham And Victoria Adams leave her parents house and head Ireland for their wedding
Victoria and David Beckham at the opening of Versace Couture Jeans Boutique
David Beckham with Brooklyn aftre the FA Carling Premiership match between Manchester United and Derby County at Old Trafford, Manchester.
David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham leave their Downtown hotel in New York
David Beckham stands with his wife, Victoria, as he shows off the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
David Beckham walks with his wife, Victoria, after he received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire)
David Beckham with his son Brooklyn is followed by his wife Victoria (centre) and baby Romeo on arrival at Heathrow Airport from Los Angeles
Victoria and David Beckham at the MTV Awards
Romeo and Victoria Beckham in the stands during the 2004 Euro's in Lisbon where England played France
Victoria and David Beckham at 19 Managent's 19th Birthday Party at The Royal Albert Hall
London 2012 ambassador David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham leave the London 2012 celebration party after London won the vote to stage the 2012 Olympic Games at the Raffle City Convention Centre in Singapore
David Beckham (holding his son Cruz) with wife Victoria holding the hand of Brooklyn and Romeo (centre) at Stansted Airport in Essex as the England football team to returned from Germany after they were knocked out of the World Cup by Portugal
David and Victoria Beckham arrive at Ciampino Airport for Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise wedding at Bracciano in Rome, Italy
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham attend the Sport Industry Awards 2007 at Old Billingsgate
David and Victoria Beckham pose on the red carpet with three of their children, (L-R) Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn as they arrive for the premiere of the Spice Girls musical "Viva Forever"
LA Galaxy's David Beckham poses with his sons Brooklyn Beckham, Cruz Beckham and Romeo Beckham after winning the MLS Cup Final in 2012
Romeo Beckham, David Beckham, Cruz Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham and Victoria Beckham attend the World premiere of "The Class of 92" at Odeon West End
Brooklyn and Victoria Beckham arrive at the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year awards at Claridge's Hotel in 2013
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham attend the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham arriving for the 2014 British Fashion Awards at The London Coliseum
David Beckham and Victoria Beckham advert for their perfume 'Intimately Yours'
David Beckham with his children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper at the Victoria Beckham show, Autumn Winter 2015
Unicef charity match at Old Trafford starring David Beckham with Romeo, Harper and Cruz in 2015
Unicef charity match at Old Trafford starring David Beckham and Brooklyn Beckham in 2015
Romeo Beckham stars in a advertising campaign for Burberry
Romeo Beckham (C) receives the support of his family, brother Cruz Beckham (L), father David Beckham (2nd L) and mother Victoria Beckham after taking part in the junior marathon during the Virgin Money London Marathon
Andy Murray with Romeo Beckham after the pair hit a few balls prior to Murray's practice session at the Aegon Championships at Queens Club
David Beckham and Brooklyn Beckham attend the Victoria Beckham Spring/Summer 2018 collection presentation at New York Fashion Week in 2017
Cruz Beckham, David Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham (wearing Polo Ralph Lauren) and Romeo Beckham Brooklyn Beckham: 'What I See' exhibition and book launch at Christie's in partnership with Polo Ralph Lauren in 2017
Victoria Beckham receives her OBE from the Duke of Cambridge during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2017
David and Victoria Beckham arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle
David and Victoria Beckham arrive for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding
Brooklyn Beckham, Hana Cross, Cruz Beckham, Romeo Beckham, Harper Beckham and David Beckham attend the Victoria Beckham show during London Fashion Week February 2019 at Tate Britain on February 17, 2019
David Beckham and wife Victoria Beckham attend the wedding of Sergio Ramos and Pilar Rubio
David Beckham and wife Victoria Beckham attend the wedding of real Madrid football player Sergio Ramos and Tv presenter Pilar Rubio at Seville's Cathedral
David Beckham is seen in the stands with his daughter, Harper, and mother, Sandra Georgina West prior to the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Quarter Final match between Norway and England at Stade Oceane on June 27, 2019 in Le Havre, France
David Beckham and Harper Beckham inside the stadium before the matc
David Beckham shares a kiss with daughter Harper in the stands during the FIFA Women's World Cup, Quarter Final, at Stade Oceane, Le Havre, France
Victoria Beckham shares pictures of her family on Sports Day 2019
Victoria Beckham shares pictures of her family on Sports Day 2019
Victoria Beckham shares pictures of her family on Sports Day 2019
Beckham Family Firework Bonfire Night 2019
As for Victoria, the designer’s London-based fashion empire continues on, though according to the Sunday Times Rich List, it has lost more than £24 million over the last two years. She launched Victoria Beckham Beauty in 2019 and has an ongoing collaboration with Reebok.
“It’ll definitely be interesting to see how this dynasty plays out and whether - in the future - the surname Beckham will be less associated with the parents and more so with any of the kids,” says Influencer’s Speller. “It’ll be especially interesting to see if it can continue with a third generation too - or whether that’s just too weak a connection to the original celebrities for the appeal and influence to continue.”
Either way the future’s bright for the Beckhams.
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