Today at the Vogue Festival in association with Vertu, Victoria Beckham not only reaffirmed that she’s the successful fashion designer and mother we already knew she was – she also won over the audience with her famous sharp wit and self-effacing humour.

“I’m nice! Everyone thinks I’m going to be a cow,” she said, smiling. “I understand it actually. I think the same when I see the pictures.”

Queues started forming two hours before the designer took to the stage with Alexandra Shulman this morning – and she did not disappoint as she discussed her life, career and how she established her two fashion labels. She was supported by 14-year-old son Brooklyn and her parents, Jackie and Tony, who watched from the front row.

“There’s a lot of people here, I hope I’m going to say something good now,” she said, as she gazed around at the full auditorium.

Addressing the cynicism surrounding her move into the fashion industry, she revealed that it was hard work that eventually made the fashion press take notice.

“At the beginning there was a lot of raised eyebrows, from those who could raise their eyebrows,” she laughed. “When I started, I did one-on-one presentations, I’d talk for hours to people who didn’t even speak English. I think a lot of people probably thought, ‘Shut up, stop going on about a bloody grosgrain waistband!’ But I’m really grateful to the industry.”

The designer, who currently shows at New York Fashion Week, hasn’t ruled out joining the London schedule in the future.

“I’d never say never to showing in London, but I’ve got a great thing going in New York. Maybe one day,” she said, following much encouragement from Shulman. “I am looking into [standalone] retail too – the e-commerce has been going really well. I get bored easily so it’s time for something new.”

But, almost despite herself, the topic Beckham returned to most often was the importance of her children and her role as a mother first and foremost.

“My children are my priority and always have been. I’m up early in the morning doing spelling tests and maths quizzes before the school run, then up late with a baby and a 14-year-old who refuses to go to bed – Brooklyn,” she said, gesturing to her son in the audience.

“I love having children in the office, mine are always running around,” she added. “I had one of those swingy chairs for Harper in my office and she’d bounce one way and swing into a roll of fabric and then bounce the other way and crash into a bag of samples.”

Now at the helm of an ever-expanding empire, the designer explained that a high street collaboration is not out of the question (“Maybe one day, but right now I don’t have the time”), and that a fragrance launch is something she would consider in the future.

As the talk drew to a close Beckham seemed almost surprised that she’d held the audience’s attention for so long. “Gosh, is that it?” she exclaimed. “Thank you so much to everyone that came, I didn’t expect so many people. If you’d told me how many, I might have got up and sung a song. Now that would have been a worry.”

- Lisa Niven and Ella Alexander

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You  can also read her replies below, thanks to Lynzi:

- @victoriabeckham says she wanted to wait until she could fund her brand herself before starting her label #voguefestival

“I have the same team that I had when I first started…I encourage them to grow as I grow”- @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I have people in my team that started out as interns for me and now are high up in the brand” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“being a working mum you feel guilty every day that you go to work” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“It’s great I’m here in London…there’s a lot of balls I’m juggling at the moment, it’s easier being here” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

I have 5 categories, we just launched e commerce & I am looking at retail space. I’m juggling a lot of balls @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“At the beginning there was a lot of raised eyebrows, or those that could raise their eyebrows”- @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“when I started i did 1 on 1 presentations, i’d talk for hours to people that didn’t even speak English” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I think a lot of people probably thought ‘shut up, stop going on about a bloody grosgrain waistband!’”- @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I’m a perfectionist, I’m probably a complete pain in the neck to work with” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I like people to see the collection through my eyes” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

Russell Marsh does @victoriabeckham show casting. She likes a girl who is very cool and looks expensive #voguefestival

“I’d never say never to showing in London, but I’ve got a great thing going in New York. Maybe one day” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“Yes I like to be creative but I’m also running a business and I’d like to be here in 20 years time”- @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I welcome constructive criticism – a lot of the fashion press have been very supportive” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“My reviews get stronger and stronger each season” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

At the beginning I was so aware of preconceptions but there’s less of that now.Im grateful to the industry” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

Prada, Balenciaga, Lanvin… @victoriabeckham on the other designers she loves #voguefestival MB x

“I love clothes!” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I’ve got 4 kids – Brooklyn is here today! Finding out that mummy actually does have a job” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“In bed I visualise what I’m going to wear the next day… David said he does the same with football” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

- @AShulman2:”Victoria how do you get dressed in the morning?” @victoriabeckham:”Well I put one foot in, then the other…” #voguefestival

“I am looking into [standalone] retail. We did ecommerce because I love Internet shopping” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

My first store will be in London @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“Something a little conceptual – something my customer can relate to” @victoriabeckham on her future shop #voguefestival

“I get a little bit bored, I’d like to do something different now”- @victoriabeckham on opening a standalone store #voguefestival

“Late night is when I pluck my eyebrows, put on a face pack”- @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I’m up late with a baby and a 14-year-old who refuses to go to bed BROOKLYN” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

I do a lot of in store events because I like to understand my customer @victoriabeckham #voguefestival @RealVertu

“the children are my priority, they always have been and always will be” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

-@AShulman2: “You travel a lot, how do you manage with that?” @victoriabeckham: “Dark glasses Alex” #voguefestival

“I believe whatever you can do you should do to the best of your ability.” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I’m ambitious and not afraid of working hard…you have to be disciplined”- @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“it would be good for me to be more relaxed – I’m really boring.” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I love heels but I do actually wear flats – the amount of attention I get for wearing flats is ridiculous” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I’ll help with the Easter bonnet parade, but I have a busy schedule, my children are my priority ” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“maybe one day I’d do a high street collaboration but right now I don’t have time” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I like to work out – I do Tracy Anderson – dancing on the treadmill” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I like to hang out with the kids and David…and work out three days a week” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival on down time

@victoriabeckham goes rock climbing sometimes… Who’d of thought it! #voguefestival

I created my Victoria line so I could offer the customer something less expensive @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

” I like the concept of buy now wear now. I think my production team are about to kill themselves” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I believe in being ambitious, aiming high, being very focused” @victoriabeckham advise on entrepreneurs MB x #voguefestival

“I’d definitely do a fragrance. I don’t want to give up any control. I dot every ‘I’” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

I will definitely bring in a luxury fragrance. Now I don’t have any licensing deals. David, Simon Fuller & I own everything @victoriabeckham

“I’m nice! Everyone thinks I’ll be a cow. I understand. I think it when I see the pictures.” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“my Mum is my role model – don’t cry mum” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“There are a lot of strong women out there – both working and as mothers” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

So long as you plans and have focus, everything is possible @victoriabeckham #voguefestival @realvertu

“we love to have children at work – mine are always running around” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

Our office is so small that when Harper was a baby on her swing chair she would swing one way into a pile of samples @victoriabeckham

“I want women to feel confident and beautiful in my designs – from a 360 angle” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“there need to be more women supporting women. Not just in fashion, in general” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“you’ve got to be prepared to start from the bottom and work up” @victoriabeckham on internships, speaking at the #voguefestival

“I love to be in store with my customers. It will be me and them in the fitting room.” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

I want to make a women feel good about herself and confident in her own body @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“I dreamed of being on the cover of Vogue, everyone who loved fashion loves Vogue” – @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

“It’s the cover of me and its @britishvogue! Who would have though?!” @victoriabeckham on her fave cover #voguefestival

“if you’d told me how many people were here I might have got up and sung, that would have been a worry” @victoriabeckham #voguefestival

You can check, at our Gallery, pictures of her arriving and leaving the event:

Gallery Link: April 28th – London – Victoria arriving at the Vogue Festival

Gallery Link: April 28th – London – Victoria leaving at the Vogue Festival