Victoria Beckham opens debut store in London<

Pop singer-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham has opened her first clothing store in London.

The three-storey shop in trendy Dover St, Mayfair, is the first in a series of stores she plans to open after launching her designer range online last year.

The former Spice Girl, who has a studio in Battersea, said her first store reflects that she is “not trying to be like everyone else”.

She said: “A lot of attention has gone into making things look really quite minimal because that’s my taste.”

“I’m not trying to be like anyone else. I’ve only ever tied to be me.”

Speaking of her steady climb in the fashion world, she said: “I probably don’t stop to think about it as much as I shouldbut I am very proud of myself.

“But then I’m always looking to the next thing. I’ll always want to better myself.”

The store will sell five Victoria Beckham collections, including a ready-to-wear range, accessories, sunglasses, and denim.

She actually missed the grand opening of the store so she could address a United Nations General Assembly in New York after being appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the organisation’s Aids campaign.

The former Spice Girl said she had been inspired by talking to women in Cape Town.

“This is the beginning of an incredible journey for me,” she said. “I came home and knew I had to do something,” she said.

“It’s taken me getting to 40 years old to realise that I have a responsibility as a woman, as a mother — I have a voice that people will listen to.”

She is going back to South Africa in a few weeks and further afield next year.

“Every woman out there has the right to health and the right to give her children a healthy future,” she said.