Why M&S’s Latest Move Proves It’s the High Street’s Savviest Player — and Why We’re All Shopping There This Summer

An off-calendar catwalk show in a far-flung location is often associated with high fashion—your Chanels, your Diors—but, as of last night, Marks & Spencer flipped the script, live-streaming its inaugural runway from the island of Ibiza. And that's not all. The high-street stalwart already caused a sensation earlier this year when it announced a very special appointment: Gillian Anderson, and whose campaign went on to become the highest-performing M&S Clothing ad ever tested by System1, a marketing effectiveness company that measures the impact of advertising campaigns.

As Anderson is unavailable to compère, as it were, M&S has found a game replacement in everyone’s favourite date, Amelia Dimoldenberg, who is none other than the general manager of Casa del Compliments, M&S’s home away from home and the location for its show—described as “a home of confidence and connection”.

M&S has always been a high-street hero, but what it's managed to do, in an economic climate that is challenging many retailers, is build on its customer base's goodwill, with marketing nous and product that is not only desirable but affordable too, with half the womenswear summer collection £30 or under.

My most stylish friends know that you don't just buy pants, and Percy Pigs, at M&S. Its suede loafers, with the gathered edge that was very Saint Laurent-coded, were almost impossible to get on your hands. Ditto its retro sneakers; which achieved the streamlined cut of something by Miu Miu. Coupled with its penny-bazaar heritage dating back to 1884, as well as its ability to be an uncontroversial bastion of Britishness, M&S seems to have recovered from its own annus horribilis in 2025, after a disastrous cyber attack.

It's also managed to maintain its sense of humour, hence its fashion show being a personable affair instead of something po-faced. Personable might not do justice, in fact, to Dimoldenberg. As the press release states, with just a hint of mirth, "From keeping a close eye on guest satisfaction to making sure nothing goes unnoticed, she’ll be everywhere. [...] Bringing her unmistakable warmth, wit and wholehearted commitment to every corner of the Casa, Amelia will put compliments firmly centre stage." "Love that" is not just a throwaway remark but the whole trip's mantra, extending into the warmer months, which, at least in the world of M&S, are tantamount not so much to a "summer of love" but a "summer of love that". (It also follows the "Love That Drop", which launched earlier this season to much acclaim).

This British sense of humour is charming, but it wouldn’t be as successful if the product didn’t stand up. Womenswear Director Maddy Evans, who is credited with driving the retailer’s fashion transformation since taking on the role in 2022, has done the impossible: she has made M&S a genuine high-street competitor for trend-driven customers without alienating its existing base. From the considered fabrics and easy fit of many styles to the additional details and embellishments—and, most crucially, the inclusive size range—ticking all these boxes is no mean feat.

Whether you're looking out for some new swimwear, coverups or easy summer dresses to take you from the school drop-off to the office, followed by a rooftop evening, this summer, you can now shop at M&S for all of the above.

With live shopping also being a recent trend, and over 1/3 of customers looking to social media and influencers they follow for inspiration, another canny move is for customers to both watch, and buy, in real time during the streaming of the show.

Being future-facing, while still embracing its heritage as everyone's favourite shop to "pop" into for posh biscuits ahead of your in-laws visiting or to browse magazines, is what sets the brand apart from others. It's a retail pioneer—Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's lingerie range must be one of the first, and most longstanding, high-street collabs in history, not to mention block-bluster partnerships with the likes of Sienna Miller, Bella Freud and the Lionesses—but still cosy enough to still be your trusted "local", which in today's retail climate isn't just a clever tightrope walk but necessary for survival.

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