Marks and Spencer held its first ever London Fashion Week catwalk show at the Design Museum for 310 guests. The collection featured affordable looks ranging from under £50 to £450 for a leather coat, combining accessible everyday wear with targeted high-fashion styling and a celebrity-filled front row.
When Joan Collins and Kemi Badenoch sit front row to scope out high-street knitwear, retail watchers pay attention. Marks and Spencer made a high-stakes gamble on the capital’s style calendar by staging its debut catwalk show during London Fashion Week at the Design Museum. Playing host to 310 guests—including familiar faces like Ian Wright and Jamie Carragher—the British retail staple aimed straight for a cultural sweet spot, balancing practical wardrobe staples with elevated styling tricks.
Front-Row Reactions and the Style Message at the Design Museum
Joan Collins called the coats very chic
and set her sights on an ivory evening dress featuring caped shoulders, while Kemi Badenoch targeted a classic black tuxedo jacket.
The underlying philosophy, as outlined by M&S womenswear director Maddy Evans, was focused on accessibility rather than avant-garde disruption. Evans described the approach as fashion with a small f, not a capital F
. Rather than sending unwearable pieces down the runway, the brand opted for familiar silhouettes updated with contemporary styling: sharp kilts instead of flouncy tiered skirts, low-rise slouchy denim in place of mom jeans, faux fur stoles, and Charli xcx-adjacent sunglasses.
Pricing Strategy and High Street Positioning
Every item hit the sales floor the moment the show began on Friday, with half of the pieces priced under £50. At the top end, a leather coat was slated to retail for £450. By keeping price tags grounded during a broader cost-of-living squeeze, the retail giant positioned catwalk trends as genuinely attainable for everyday shoppers.
This accessible pricing strategy arrives at a time when London Fashion Week has frequently grappled with maintaining relevance for ordinary consumers as designer prices climb. M&S currently occupies second place in style perception rankings, sitting directly behind Zara. That’s exactly where we want to be,
Evans noted. Zara are the cutting edge of fashion, and we are fashion for everybody.
Archive Nods and Inclusive Casting Choices
In celebrating a century of selling fashion, the collection dipped into brand archives to reimagine heritage pieces. Designers reworked a classic twinset into a cardigan layered over a knitted camisole, alongside a sage-green lace two-piece set that paid tribute to the history of M&S lingerie. On the runway, models spanning a wide spectrum of ages and body types walked the floor, a deliberate choice intended to reflect the company’s 23 million customers.
Menswear leaned into contemporary wardrobe foundations, showcasing a classic grey office suit modeled by Lennon Gallagher alongside centrist-dad chore jackets and half-zip sweaters. Following the presentation, guests including Ian Wright and Jamie Carragher sampled an elevated fashion-week take on an M&S picky tea,
featuring smoked salmon finger sandwiches and champagne served on silver trays.
Standout Pieces and High-End Finishes
- Double-breasted tuxedo jacket (£85): Features satin peak labels and a machine-washable build designed for simplified party dressing.
- Ivory satin party dress (£89): Crafted from crepe-back satin with kimono sleeves and a train, available also in black.
- Sequin fringe skirt (£50): Built with gold sequins and silk fringing for a high-energy statement piece.
- Red half-zip sweater (£40): Tapping into current tech-bro and pop-star styling trends in a vibrant ketchup red hue.
- Vintage borg leather jacket (£250): A Per Una pilot-style tobacco leather coat featuring a cream shawl collar and waist tabs.
The successful debut builds on a winning streak of recent fashion hits for the retailer, which previously found success with suede loafers echoing Saint Laurent and a sellout collaboration with Bella Freud.
