M&S makes London Fashion Week debut to boost style ambitions
LONDON: Marks & Spencer will make its London Fashion Week debut on Friday, using the high-profile event to showcase its growing fashion credentials and broaden its appeal to shoppers at home and abroad, both in-store and online. The retailer, one of the biggest names on the UK high street, will celebrate 100 years in fashion with womenswear and menswear collections inspired by the M&S archive.…
Marks & Spencer (M&S) will make its London Fashion Week debut on Friday, leveraging the high-profile event to highlight its expanding fashion capabilities and attract shoppers both online and in-store. As one of the UK's largest high street retailers, M&S will celebrate a century of fashion with women's and men's collections inspired by its archive.
CEO Stuart Machin, in office since 2022, has aimed to restore M&S's value, quality, and style to attract a younger audience. To achieve this, M&S is overhauling its supply chain, investing in stores, and enhancing its data and digital capabilities. Machin aims to double fashion, home, and beauty (FH&B) online sales from around £1.4 billion ($1.9 billion) in 2024/25 to £2.8 billion, with online sales comprising 50% of total FH&B sales in the medium term, up from 34% currently.
Unlike other high-profile designers and brands at the event, M&S' 57 runway looks will be accessible online and in 10 flagship stores across the UK and Ireland, with half of the collection priced under £50. Machin emphasized that the collection draws from M&S's heritage while being "brought bang up to date," featuring items like a tan leather borg jacket inspired by a heritage St Michael design and a black tuxedo suit reminiscent of the style worn by model Christy Turlington for M&S in the '90s.
The collection will be streamed on M&S's website and European partner Zalando's website later on Friday. In May, M&S anticipated a return to profit growth for the year after it experienced a 24% slump in 2025/26 due to a disruptive cyberattack that impacted sales and margins. Half-year results are due for release on November 4. M&S's shares have risen by 11% so far in 2024, driven by strong growth in food sales.
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