By Irishexaminer.com,Sarah Finnan

Copyright irishexaminer

Then, Sienna Miller launched her first collection with the high street giant last summer, and my interest was piqued.

Very much an extension of the actress’s signature style, the 33-piece edit could only be described as boho perfection.

Featuring 1970s-inspired patterns, ruffled maxi dresses, and a pair of leather mules I still regret not buying, it was a sell-out success.

A couple of months later, Bella Freud released her signature edit with the entire collection gone within 24 hours.

The evidence spoke for itself: M&S was back.

If you, too, have been drawn in by their quiet reinvention, rest assured: it’s them, not you.

Dependable but admittedly not always stylish, the retailer’s buying team has been making a concerted effort to change that.

“We lead in the market on trust and quality,” M&S womenswear director Maddy Evans (who joined in 2019 as head of buying from Topshop) tells me.

“But over the last three to four years, we’ve been trying to change style perception. A lot of work has gone into updating, modernising, and making it feel more contemporary.”

That effort has paid off with customers aged under 35 now among the retailer’s top shoppers.

According to their 2025 interim report, M&S is now ranked second for style compared with sixth in 2022.

Fashion, home and beauty sales increased 3.5%, and both womens and mens grew in categories such as jeans, knitwear, and tops, with strong seasonal campaigns and collaborations helping to drive that.

Autograph, M&S’s premium/signature range, also saw a huge jump in sales, growing by 47% as customers invested in higher quality, versatile products at the top end of the range.

“We haven’t intentionally gone about designing for the young,” continues Evans, explaining that it’s much more of a holistic approach.

“It’s not about doing anything differently — we didn’t want to alienate our top-paying customers — it’s just about broadening our appeal.”

Achieving that requires a multi-pronged approach, one which includes diversifying their product lines (for example, stocking skirts in various hemlines) and making new fabrications available.

Behemoths like Zara, ASOS and Shein are constantly dropping new products, something modern shoppers have begun to accept as the norm.

Remaining relevant in the hyper-fast-fashion world is challenging. M&S say they are doing it by focusing on quality and longevity.

“We make sure to prioritise investment pieces,” says Evans.

“We’ve got more leather, more suede, and more wool content in our knitwear this year because we want our products to last. You need to think about ways to wear so that pieces live in people’s wardrobes for longer, and they can wear them multiple times.”

An embellished blazer, part of the new season line, stands out as a prime example.

Other initiatives include a commitment to using 100% recycled polyester by this year (looks like they’re on target, Evans confirms), a focus on only using responsibly sourced materials and a new resale option they launched last week in partnership with eBay.

On whether she’s noticed a shift in the age profile of those coming in-store, Evans says that she has.

“I observe more mums and daughters shopping together, which is exactly what we wanted. I said at the outset that if we got to the point where we’ve got product in the mum’s wardrobe that the daughter wants to wear or in the daughter’s wardrobe that the mum wants to wear, then we’re on to something. That is your sweet spot.”

Having gotten an exclusive preview of the new AW 2025 range over in London last week, I can confirm that it’s very, very good — dare I say, one of their best in recent years.

Bursting with texture and colour, it’s an exciting mix of heritage and fun.

Those who rely on the retailer for long-lasting staples will be kept happy with argyle knits and sleek, double-breasted wool coats, while those after something a little more daring will be drawn in by luscious, faux furs and a snakeskin co-ord that demands attention.

At 29, I’m hardly Gen Z, but I was thoroughly impressed.

Personal favourites include a khaki barn jacket sure to be a viral hit (they’ve already had several online sensations so far this year), a pair of red, Ganni-esque cowboy boots, and the new M&S ski collection, the retailer’s latest innovation, which expertly straddles the line between fashion and function.

Accessories also feature heavily and include chunky, jewelled necklaces, studded bags, and your choice of statement earrings.

Shimmery dresses and red-hued pieces are likely to be the focus this end of the season, but the buying team have also provisioned for the inevitable December fatigue with all things sequined, bedazzled or otherwise.

When that time comes, and come it will, winter whites and rollneck jumpers you can easily transition into your early spring wardrobe will be your saving grace.

Of course, not every piece hits the mark, but that’s where a good belt, boot, or bold lip can do the heavy lifting.

The entire edit has its finger right on the pulse of fashion, an impressive feat considering the buying team often has to make decisions on what next season’s designs will look like nine to 12 months in advance.

“We continuously test products to see what resonates, and over a period of time, you can start to get a sense of what’s going to work and what’s not,” notes Evans.

“Customer feedback is also really important, as well as our own intel around what’s happening in the industry.”

For lingerie director Charlotte Davies, it comes down to knowing their audience.

“The one thing that we pride ourselves on is that we really understand women of all shapes, sizes, and demographics, and we make sure that we cater for that range. For example, when we’re talking about the shapes of bras and knickers we’re going to stock, we make sure we have a big collection and a broad appeal.”

“In this collection, we are covering everything from soft, cosy loungewear pieces, all the way through to slightly sexier, more seductive, sheer lingerie looks,” agrees Soozie Jenkinson, head of design.

Trend forecasting is, as you can imagine, a fickle business, especially given the breakneck speed at which the internet cycles through fashion fixations.

Obviously, the runways provide ample inspiration, but so too does social media. “We have to have what I call our ‘creative antennae’ up all the time,” explains Jenkinson.

“We have to look at what’s happening on social media, what’s happening instantaneously, versus long-term trends. It’s about making sure we’re looking at the most important womenswear trends and then blending them with what’s happening in the lingerie market, and creating something that’s unique for our customer.”

So, what’s the verdict — is M&S cool again, or am I just old? The answer, I think, is a little of both.

Yes, the new season stock is considerably chicer than it used to be, but I’ve also matured beyond wanting barely there going out tops that hardly survive the night, never mind multiple wash cycles.

I’ve grown up, but so has the brand – and it’s morphed into something genuinely covetable.

All that’s left to do now is make a beeline for the Grafton Street branch to get my hands on one of the fabulous Penny Lane coats before it sells out.