This post was originally published on this site.
British high street retailer Marks & Spencer is making its London Fashion Week runway debut this autumn, unveiling a shoppable womenswear and menswear collection that customers can buy immediately online, in flagship UK stores and across key international markets.
The debut, which M&S said coincides with its 100th year in the fashion industry, positions the retailer on the same runway calendar as luxury and designer brands. The collection will follow a “see now, buy now” model, with the show streamed live to bring the event directly to consumers.
Stuart Machin, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer, said: “For 100 years M&S fashion has been part of everyday life and now we will showcase our designs on fashion’s global stage.
“At M&S we focus on designing clothes with style, quality and value, and making fashion accessible to all. That’s why we will stream our show, bringing one of the world’s leading fashion weeks and the magic of M&S to everybody.”
The live stream and immediate retail availability distinguish Marks & Spencer’s approach from the traditional fashion week model, where collections typically reach stores months after a runway presentation. Instead, M&S is using the platform as a combined marketing and sales event, linking content directly to conversion through its own channels.
It follows a series of high-visibility fashion activations from the retailer. In May, M&S staged a summer show in Ibiza, and last week it held what it described as the first pit lane fashion show at Silverstone ahead of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, where 50 models walked through the circuit’s working garages.
Machin framed the London Fashion Week debut as building on those events, suggesting the retailer views spectacle-led fashion moments as a core part of its brand strategy. It follows the retailer’s first connection with London Fashion Week in 2014, when it hosted an event showcasing its “Best of British” Autumn 2014 collection.
Laura Weir, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council, said: “As one of the great icons of the British high street, and a valued patron of the British Fashion Council, M&S has played an important role in the nation’s retail and cultural story for generations.
“Its debut shoppable collection at London Fashion Week is a significant moment, demonstrating how heritage, innovation and accessibility can come together to connect exceptional British design with consumers in new and relevant ways.”
M&S joins a September schedule that is gaining momentum with the return of prominent British names. Mulberry will stage its first runway show in six years under Creative Director Christopher Kane on 20 September, while Alexander McQueen is also set to present in London after years on the Paris calendar.
It also follows Topshop’s runway return earlier this year, when the retailer staged what it described as the world’s first AI-powered shoppable catwalk in Manchester, allowing guests to shop the collection in real time.