Ask a Brit their thoughts on retailer Marks & Spencer, proudly nicknamed Marks & Sparks or M&S, and many of them will express some level of fondness. They may like the Percy Pig sweets, regularly grab a sandwich meal deal, or test out the ever-growing list of viral products, like the Reggiano Lambrusco sparkling red wine.
But as of late, it’s not just M&S food (and now-viral director of product development, Kathryn Turner) that’s prompting buzz. M&S fashion has upped its game in recent years, under chief executive Stuart Machin, who was appointed in 2022, and is in the middle of a major turnaround spanning product, supply chain, marketing and more.
To underscore its fashion ambitions, M&S will make its runway debut at London Fashion Week this Friday. The see-now, buy-now show, focused on its Fall/Winter 2026 collection, will feature reworkings of archival hits, while the diverse casting will reflect M&S campaigns, consumers and brand ambassadors. Crucially, half of the collection is under £50.
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“Every year for the last four years, we’ve improved our style perception,” says Machin, sitting in M&S HQ near London’s Edgware Road. A plate of M&S pastries sits on the table, which he admits are a little dry (feedback for the team later). In the corner hangs his M&S trench coat, a product he’s proud of from last season. And on two TV screens by the window is a clear outline of his fashion strategy across two slides. The crux is, while perception of M&S fashion has certainly improved, the business has a long way to go to reach the growth and profitability of M&S food.
Shifting perception
M&S was always popular for lingerie and basics. In fact, in the UK, around half of women on any given day are wearing an M&S bra, the company says. But when I put a callout on Instagram asking if anyone was buying more M&S fashion lately, I received around 50 messages in 12 hours. “Loving it! I never bought from there recently,” wrote photographer Bethan Smith. “It’s gone from being reliable to being relevant,” wrote tech executive Lauren Dyer. The consensus is that M&S fashion is now cooler and more exciting, which is appealing to a younger, more fashion-forward shopper than before.
“If you look at what the team really did, it was a product,” Machin says. “We deliver better quality, better style and better value today.” In practice, this means more trend-led, directional design, from funnel neck jackets to satin bombers, colorful ballet flats and wide-leg jeans.
Machin built a fresh team to steer the product turnaround. He promoted Maddy Evans — former fashion director of Topshop in its 2010s heyday — to womenswear director in 2022. She spearheaded the product transformation, and in February 2025, was promoted to director of woman, incorporating all women’s sub-categories like lingerie and accessories. That same year, the company appointed former Boohoo chief executive John Lyttle as managing director of fashion, beauty and home, to help steer a much-needed turnaround at the back end of the business.