Marks & Spencer Stages First London Fashion Week Show

Marks & Spencer staged its first-ever fashion week show in London on Friday. The British high-street retailer presented 59 looks at the city's Design Museum to mark 100 years of selling fashion.

The collection mixed eveningwear and elevated casual staples. It ranged from black velvet, satin, and sequined dresses to structured suits, knits, trenchcoats, and classic denim. The show featured models spanning the age spectrum.

"We're not trying to be high fashion," said chief executive Stuart Machin after the show. "It's about high quality, classic clothing at a good value, and we want to highlight that it's for everyone."

A Bid for Fashion Credibility

The runway moment is part of M&S's effort to build more visibility for its clothing division. While its food business is seen as a premium destination, its clothing has historically struggled to command the same cachet, often perceived as frumpy and mainly appealing to an older clientele. The company has been working to shed that image and elevate its offering.

This includes international partnerships with Nordstrom in the US and David Jones in Australia. Earlier in May, M&S held its first fashion show in Ibiza, but Machin said the London event did a better job at capturing the company's aim of catering to customers of all ages.

Leaning Into Trends and Collaborations

Over recent years, M&S has revamped its strategy to attract younger, fashion-conscious consumers. It has leaned into more trend-led collections and collaborations. Recent examples include a line of slogan knits and tailoring with Bella Freud, embellished partywear with 16Arlington, and a capsule with streetwear label Aries this summer. The retailer has also increased the range of third-party brands it sells, including womenswear label Nobody's Child.

The runway show was the latest effort in this line, though it also seemed designed to remind M&S's older customers that its clothes were still for them.

Mixed Results and Future Goals

There are signs the broader fashion strategy is paying off, though progress remains uneven. According to RBC Capital Markets, M&S's fashion, home, and beauty sales grew 1.4 percent over the two years to July 19. This outperformed the wider UK retail market, which contracted 4.9 percent over the same period.

RBC noted that menswear and lingerie have been bright spots, while womenswear and kidswear have struggled. The retailer has also sharpened its pricing, although it remains significantly more expensive than rival Next.

Chief executive Stuart Machin, who took the role in 2022, is seeking to double online sales in fashion, home, and beauty from £1.4 billion in 2024/25. The company has forecast a return to profit growth this year after a disruptive cyberattack in 2025 contributed to a 24 percent decline in profit for the 2025/26 financial year.

Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in an August research note that the company has embraced a greater willingness to take risks, a shift that has proved beneficial. In a release, M&S said the next phase of its fashion revamp will involve modernising its supply chain, improving data and digital capabilities, and upgrading stores, starting with its renovated Oxford Street flagship.