New frontier in the Stella McCartney Victoria Beckham ‘feud’: Designers go head to head with high street collections after years of ‘rows’ – and a fallout over Harper’s birthday that left Sir Paul’s daughter ‘furious’

One is the daughter of a Beatle, the other is part of a billionaire power couple who have built a global brand around their surname.

So you might think that Victoria Beckham and Stella McCartney have a lot in common as showbiz royalty and they both head up eponymous fashion brands.

But the pair have a history of tensions, following reports of ‘nanny trafficking’ and a row over Harper Beckham’s birthday party at Buckingham Palace in 2017, as well as professional disputes over allegations of designers and models ‘stealing’ from each other.

Competition could resurface on the High Street now that both Stella and Victoria are launching affordable collections in popular mid-range stores.

Posh Spice designed a 38-piece collaboration with GAP, consisting of tops, denims, sweaters and outerwear. The range, which starts at £25 and goes up to £250, is inspired by the brand’s classic logo hoodies and T-shirts that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s.

This month, Stella launched her second collection with High Street favorite H&M.

It’s priced similarly to the Victoria’s Gap collaboration and includes items such as the infamous ‘Rock Royalty’ tank, which was first made by Stella for the 1999 Met Gala and reignited the fierce rivalry between the pair.

Victoria and Stella have known each other for years after their first meeting in 2010, when David Beckham hired Stella’s husband Alasdhair for styling services.

However, despite being frequently featured in the Becks’ post-LA Galaxy fashion rebranding, relations between the McCartneys and the Beckhams appear to have grown colder over the years.

A flashpoint came in 2017, when Victoria and David’s youngest child, Harper, was treated to the princess-themed afternoon tea party of a lifetime at Buckingham Palace by the then-Prince Andrew and the then-Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson.

Six-year-old Harper brought her senior friends with her London The stage school he attended Pixie Lott And Louise RedknappOne of them was Reiley Willis, Stella’s daughter.

Details of the supposedly private tea party were kept secret until David and Victoria posted a series of photos of Harper and her friends on Instagram. days later, horrifying the royals and Stella.

The dispute dates back to nearly a decade ago, when Victoria and David’s youngest child Harper (third from right) threw a sixth birthday party at Buckingham Palace, attended by Princess Eugenie.

A source told Sun He said Paul McCartney’s daughter was ‘furious’.

An insider claimed: ‘Stella is creepy about this because she always tries to keep her kids out of the public eye and never posts about them on her own social media accounts.’

He is particularly furious because he has an ‘OBE’ and has nothing but respect for the Royal Family. He hoped no one would notice it was Reiley and outlined the rules to his staff.’

The post has been removed. But three years later, there was also controversy over the “poaching” of a nanny who was allegedly “the best in town”.

This was reportedly ‘the final nail in the coffin of friendship’.

He wants the best for his family, and he heard through playground gossip that Stella’s nanny is one of the best in town. He got her number and made her a lucrative offer to jump ship. A source said that when Stella found out about this, she started using nuclear weapons. Sun.

But a branding expert said Victoria and Stella probably aren’t still at loggerheads, they’re just part of the same trend cycle in fashion.

The tension also spread to the podiums.

Seeing that Victoria had booked Gigi and Bella Hadid to walk in her first Paris Fashion Week show in 2023, Stella decided to offer the couple a spot on the catwalk as well.

An insider shared: ‘Everyone found it hilarious and it’s become a bit of a joke in the fashion world.

‘People were saying they couldn’t wait to see which stylish book styles would be on display in the autumn/winter 2024 season because they would no doubt be calling them too.’

Models were not the only ones responsible when it came to professional competition.

In 2022, Victoria was rumored to have ‘kidnapped’ fashion industry heavyweight Jane How, who had been working with Stella for years.

But a branding expert said Victoria and Stella’s collections were not necessarily linked to ‘rivalry’.

“The renewed interest in Victoria Beckham and Stella McCartney entering or re-entering the high street conversation certainly sheds light on the long-running narrative the media has built around their relationship, but culturally it feels more like a reflection of where luxury fashion is heading in 2026 than a genuine ‘feud revival’,” communications expert Olivia Bell told the Daily Mail.

‘There is a growing shift away from ultra-exclusive fashion towards what I call ‘aspirational accessibility’.

‘Consumers still want the credibility and cultural credibility of designers, but they also want wearability, practicality and price points that feel more realistic in today’s economy.

‘High street collaborations enable luxury brands to stay culturally relevant while reaching a much wider audience.’

He added: ‘What makes Victoria Beckham and Stella McCartney particularly interesting is that they represent two very different versions of British luxury femininity.

‘While Victoria Beckham’s brand has evolved into flamboyant, flamboyant, minimalist, power dressing, Stella McCartney has long positioned itself around conscious luxury, sustainability and relaxed sophistication.

‘When both names appear in similar commercial spaces, the media naturally gravitates towards comparison because they occupy overlapping cultural spaces.’