In March 2024, Victoria Beckham walked the length of the catwalk at her Paris Fashion Week show on a pair of crutches.
The Spice Girls star suffered an injury in the gym, which meant she needed to rely on a pair of crutches during the momentous week in Paris. Ever a style icon, VB opted for a pair of sleek black crutches, courtesy of UK brand Cool Crutches, created by Amelia Peckham.
"For Victoria Beckham to choose our crutches was a pivotal moment," Amelia told HELLO!. "Not just because she is a style icon but because she found us off her own back. When you are married to one of the world's best athletes, with the world's best medical teams behind you, it's a phenomenal endorsement for her to choose our brand!"
Cool Crutches has seen a surge in interest since VB rocked them on the catwalk, with a 70 per cent increase in sales. "The business has been busy!" says Amelia.
"It’s been wonderful and we are so grateful to Victoria for choosing our crutches. Our mission has always been to help as many people as possible by giving them a choice when it comes to crutches and walking sticks.
"Everyone deserves to feel confident on their feet regardless of injury or disability and this has shone a spotlight onto us as a business, as well as changed the perception of mobility aids in general. It's started conversations, it's broken down stigmas and it's given us a hugely lucky break (mind the pun)."
Crutches knocked my confidence
Cool Crutches was borne out of adversity, after Amelia had a quad biking accident in 2005, which resulted in her being told she would never walk unaided again.
During her recovery, Amelia relied on standard crutches, which led to blisters and infections. "I knew I could learn to walk but my hands were holding me back," Amelia recalls. "It was ironic that the one body part that wasn't affected by my injury was the one that limited my recovery.
"Using crutches that left me in pain knocked my confidence. I couldn't walk well because I was in agony and not just with blisters but hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder pain too.
"The fear of slipping meant I was terrified to go anywhere on my own, or out at night in the dark or rain - everything became a worry and the safest thing to do was to stay at home."
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The clicking noise associated with crutches was an issue too, as Amelia shares: "The clicking made me so self-conscious. I could never go anywhere without someone hearing me.
"Everything about using crutches made me self-conscious and scared. My hospital crutches became a siren for sympathy, attracting attention for all the wrong reasons and serving as a constant reminder of what I’d lost."
Creating Cool Crutches
After struggling to find comfortable crutches, Amelia’s mum, Clare, suggested they create their own, designing crutches that didn’t hurt, click, slip or snap - but also looked good.
"At that time, there was so much to worry and be sad about, as well as overwhelming amounts to panic about," Amelia says. "Starting a business gave us something positive to focus on, to keep us busy. It helped flip the narrative around my accident from what I’d lost to what we gained."
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Cool Crutches were created to be comfortable and safe and they instantly transformed Amelica’s confidence.
"I could walk better, for longer, in any weather. I could open a door without them crashing to the floor, I could enter a room in silence with no one hearing me before they saw me and they felt like a reflection of me," she says. "They became an extension of me and my style, not a reflection of my physical ability.
"I'm lucky to be able to help other people regain their independence and confidence by running our business now too."