By James Rodger
Copyright birminghammail
Marks and Spencer has issued a big update for shoppers who buy womenswear after the devastating cyber attack it experienced earlier this year. M&S says, after a cyber-attack rained on its summer, it is now banking on fashion to brighten its autumn. M&S will be selling Prada-like cardigans, faux leather trenchcoats and short pleated skirts, reminiscent of the best of Burberry and other high-end designers. “We can be bolder because, while we continue to dominate in the over-55s, we’ve got new customers in the 35- to 55-year-old age range,” said Maddy Evans, the brand’s womenswear lead, at a showcase of the new collection in the run-up to London fashion week, which begins on Friday. READ MORE UK households with white walls warned as epidemic starts to sweep England “That basically means that if a customer walks in to see the new season, two-thirds of it she will never have seen before. The other third is core product – white T-shirts, skinny jeans, black wide-leg trousers, pieces that never go out of stock.” M&S “sense-checked” trends for wearability, “We are shifting out of the midi skirt into shorter lengths, but our customer trusts us to make a short skirt that they feel good in,” she added. The head of womenswear design, Lisa Illis, said: “We avoid harder, sharper colours that are more difficult to wear, in favour of these flattering shades.” M&S remains committed to denim, too, with the £30 benchmark identified as a key threshold for consumers amid the Cost of Living crisis. “Although we’re seeing more opportunity at £45-£49, when the product is right”, the high street giant added. M&S, which has stores in Birmingham , also said it has substantially shifted production from China, Vietnam and Cambodia to “nearshore” manufacture in Turkey, Morocco and Egypt. M&S is also banking on the return of the skirt – but promised it won’t be “unwearably short”.
