David Beckham's whole new ball game
From February 2, David Beckham's underpants can be your underpants too, for a trifling £7.99 (briefs) or £9.99 (boxers). That is when they and the rest of his 'bodywear' range go on sale in every one of the Swedish fashion retailer H&M's 1,800ish stores in 40ish countries worldwide. And unlike H&M's usual popular but purposefully fleeting fashion collaborations with Marni, Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and their ilk, this is a long-term partnership. Beckham and H&M (there is no hint of Californian softening to Beckham's Estuary 'haitch and emm') have signed a rolling, to-be-renewed-biannually contract that is expected to last at least half a decade. While his remuneration has not been made public, Beckham will certainly not have come cheap.
Whatever the price, however, H&M may well have pulled off the most fruitful fashion transfer of the season. The 'bodywear' collection was originally planned as a stand-alone, self-produced product by Beckham and his advisers. It was, Beckham says, 'all ready to go' when he and his business partner, Simon Fuller, first revealed their plans for an underpants start-up last May. Not only were the designs finalised, so too was the all-important sell: the label and packaging.
