This post was originally published on this site.
Marks & Spencer has been stepping up its fashion ambitions with a series of fashion firsts this year – its first live-streamed show in Ibiza, its first pit lane catwalk at the Silverstone British Grand Prix, and its London Fashion Week debut later this month – and now is building on its successful ‘Love That’ platform with a new campaign starring Chief Compliments Officer, Gillian Anderson.
Through higher-profile campaigns, more directional product, culturally relevant collaborations and its debut London Fashion Week runway show, the retailer is building a more visible and credible fashion proposition without abandoning its value positioning.
Notable examples of how M&S has been broadening its fashion offer include the recently launched 26-piece Aries collaboration, which revived the historic St Michael label for contemporary streetwear customers. It also added Levi’s to Brands at M&S last month, while upgrading its lingerie offer following increasing competition with the UK entry of SKIMS in April.
Growing demand for its fashion offer and momentum in its international online business have also seen the retailer expand its European fulfilment partnership with ZEOS across 22 markets, with the partnership helping to accelerate M&S’ online channel growth across Europe, while strengthening its ability to scale its online business efficiently.
Its latest high-profile campaign, accompanying its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, builds on this positive momentum, and sees Sex Education-star Gillian Anderson return as the retailer’s Chief Compliments Officer, forming the latest instalment of its “Love That” platform.
The new campaign follows a widely successful spring edition, which M&S said was its highest-performing clothing advert tested by the independent marketing effectiveness agency System1, placing it within System1’s global top 10 fashion campaigns.
Available in store and online from today, 3 September, the retailer’s new AW26 collection features outerwear, tailoring, satin separates and accessories, including hero products including a £70 faux fur jacket, and a £85 pinstripe blazer paired with £46 trousers.
With a focus on the seasonal shift, the collection features “rich textures and modern tailoring” such as chocolate wool coats, statement faux fur and oversized wraps layered over satin dresses, refined knitwear and relaxed suiting.
Notably, while the collection encompasses fashionable pieces, it also emphasises value, with more than 50% of the autumn collection priced under £30, while 74% of its outerwear is priced at £70 or below.
Set inside the V&A Library, the accompanying campaign sees Anderson researching the art of giving compliments, but her attention then turns to the “effortlessly stylish” women around her. One compliment soon sparks another, thereby creating a chain reaction of appreciation that “celebrates the simple power of noticing something you love and saying, ‘Love That’,” the retailer shared.
“After celebrating a ‘Summer of Love That’, we’re excited to keep building that momentum into autumn, the single biggest style moment of the year,” said Sharry Cramond, Marketing Director of Fashion, Home & Beauty at M&S.
“The response to Love That has been phenomenal this year and we’re excited to showcase the trends, investment pieces and future bestsellers that will set the viral product agenda for autumn. These are the pieces everyone will soon be talking about and, as we like to say at M&S, Love That.”
M&S prepares for its first London Fashion Week show
The campaign arrives two weeks before M&S makes its London Fashion Week runway debut, on 18 September, marking 100 years of the retailer’s fashion business.
The show will unveil a shoppable womenswear and menswear collection that customers can buy immediately online, in flagship UK stores and across key international markets. Its Collection, Per Una and Autograph lines will also be represented across the presentation, which will also be streamed live.
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.
The debut follows M&S’ first live-streamed fashion show in Ibiza and its pit-lane catwalk at Silverstone earlier this summer.