Goodbye frump, hello TikTok: M&S to celebrate 100 years with London fashion week show | Marks & Spencer

TMany familiar brands, from Burberry to Alexander McQueen, are ready to showcase their products during autumn’s London fashion week. But there was an unexpected addition on Wednesday: Marks & Spencer is joining its luxury range.

The British high street retailer will celebrate its 100th anniversary in the fashion industry with a catwalk show in September, highlighting its latest women’s and menswear collections.

M&S CEO Stuart Machin said the decision to exhibit at LFW was an opportunity to “showcase our designs on fashion’s global stage” and was part of the retailer’s wider efforts to transform itself into a fashion destination for high street shoppers.

Laura Weir, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, described M&S as “one of the great icons of the British high street”, adding that the retailer “has played an important role in the country’s retail and cultural story for generations”.

M&S’s first LFW catwalk show will be streamed live for customers who want to watch from home. Unlike most luxury brands, where runway pieces take months to arrive in stores, M&S collections will be available to buy online and in larger stores immediately.

Catherine Shuttleworth, retail consultant and managing director of Savvy Marketing, said M&S’s decision to attend LFW showed “confidence in its fashion credentials”.

Speaking at the group’s annual meeting in London on Tuesday, Machin said the retailer had successfully “cut through the noise”; This was a reference to a comment made by the company’s CEO Steve Rowe in 2016, describing the retailer as famous for “simplicity”.

Machin, who replaces Rowe in 2022, is on a mission to transform the business by focusing on increasing sales and profits by appealing to a younger, fashion-focused customer.

M&S women’s wear president Maddy Evans, who joined the brand in 2019, also played a crucial role in the brand’s comeback. The approach includes items that go viral on social media, as well as trend-driven monthly product discounts that appeal to customers looking for innovation. Barrel legs instead of skinny jeans, fishnet jelly shoes and lightweight funnel-collared jackets, all at a fraction of the price of designer equivalents, have helped M&S shift its age demographic away from the 55+ bracket towards the 20s and early 30s.

This marks a radical change of direction for a retailer previously known for its briefs and vests. Quick to take on luxury trends, more affordable versions of this model have become catnip on social media. On TikTok, videos such as “Rate my M&S haul” and “Unbox my M&S order” receive thousands of views. Including this month’s trending products kitten heeled flip flops Similar to what model Hailey Bieber wears, Chloé-esque flowing lace tops and inspired by Missoni striped knitted dresses.

Meanwhile, as the Love Story craze continues at full speed, M&S took immediate action. publish a collection She was inspired by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s ’90s style, which consisted of a loose-fitting white shirt and black lined dress.

In June, the retailer launched its summer collection in Ibiza with a fashion show hosted by Chicken Shop Date presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg, which featured a purpose-built, see-through catwalk built over a giant swimming pool. Last week, he took over the pitlane at Silverstone to unveil another collection, featuring models walking in the background of F1 garages, hours before the start of the British Grand Prix.

These shows follow the appointment of celebrity ambassadors including Gillian Anderson and Claudia Winkleman, sell-out collaborations with actor Sienna Miller and designer Bella Freud, as well as the decision to stock other brands including ethically-focused Nobody’s Child and wedding guest Ghost London. Retail expert Elizabeth Stiles said such initiatives “elevate the perception of the entire business.”

M&S currently has a market share of just over 10% of total national clothing sales and has 12 million female customers. Quite a feat for a retailer that crashed out of the FTSE 100 in 2019 (returning four years later) and suffered another devastating blow in 2025 when it suffered a cyberattack that left shoppers unable to shop online for several months and nearly wiped out its profits.

Showing for the first time at London fashion week follows in the footsteps of Topshop, which was the first high street brand to show on the program in 2005. While Cos will be showing at New York fashion week in September, last September Cos’ sister brand H&M opened London fashion week with a fashion show starring Vogue models Alex Consani and Paloma Elsesser.

But M&S’s focus on younger customers has left some shareholders concerned the strategy risks alienating its traditional customer base. Machin said at the AGM that a customer who approached him in the store complained that his dresses were “completely sleeveless” and “a little tight.” Her “stylish 78-year-old mother” had also given her feedback, including that the tops were “a bit shorter.” As a result, future pieces, including those that will appear on the September runway, will feature elements that “cover the belly, top and hips.”