Victoria Beckham sues denim company Rock & Republic
Victoria Beckham is said to be suing the Los Angeles-based fashion label that once made her line of super-expensive jeans.
The erstwhile Posh Spice claims that haute denim brand Rock & Republic owes her as much as $100 million following her split with the company, according to reports published Sunday in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper.
The pricey pants - which bore a distinctive crown emblem on the back pockets and sold for around $300 a pop - hit stores in 2004, and Beckham's creative relationship with the company at first seemed rosy. "She not only understands fashion and trends but has been a trend-setter and fasion icon for years," Rock & Republic designer and owner Michael Ball gushed at the time.
But the partnership soon soured, reportedly because the usually publicity-hungry Posh wasn't devoting enough of her ample camera time to plugging the line. Beckham and the label officially parted ways in 2006, and rumors of an impending suit began surfacing around that time.
Rock & Republic has not yet been served with the claim, the Daily Mail reported, but in the suit, Beckham allegedly states she is owed the payout because the jeans were more profitable than previously thought.
But that's not the end of Beckham's denim woes. News of the lawsuit comes on the heels of blogosphere buzz that her current jeans venture, dVb denim, is being dropped by retailers - including swanky L.A. boutiques Kitson and Fred Segal - because of low sales.
Kitson owner Fraser Ross denied he was ditching the line, but told People magazine it is not performing up to expectation - because of Beckham.
"She's not supporting the line," Ross said. "It's not good for her brand and not good for her endorsements. In a tough economy, you need to be in partnership with the people that are selling your line to your fans. That's the bottom line."
Or maybe it's that the jeans, which retail for $250 and above, don't fit in with the average Spice Girls fan's bottom line?
Posh, it might be time to go discount.
