Marks and Spencer - With 'Best of British', M&S is rediscovering its roots

Marks and Spencer rediscovers its roots with its 'Best of British' collection for AW13

Yesterday I had the immense pleasure of walking into a room full of menswear made in the UK. The pleasure was made all the greater by the fact that these clothes are from Marks and Spencer.

All images M&S

M&S is in the enviable, yet unenviable, position of being a British institution. As soon as things go a bit awry, we all have something to say about it (as have I in the past). Once M&S made many of its clothes in the UK. The harsh realities of the marketplace and stiff competition on the high street changed all that - and there were fears that quality was sacrificed too. No doubt this was financially justifiable, but many didn't like it and harked back to the glorious old days when M&S was British and quality to the core.

To their credit M&S saw these concerns and a recent collaboration with the British Fashion Council heralds a shift in direction and has created the Best of British range. This comes at a time when better-informed consumers are increasingly questioning the wisdom of buying cheap foreign garments made in the sort of conditions that sparked the Factories Acts in the UK in the nineteenth century. There is also the beginning of a reaction against foreign-made 'British heritage' collections and a desire to see the real thing once more.

While the Best of British collection is only a small part of the AW13 offering, M&S has to start somewhere and I really hope that we will give them a chance. It would be nice to think that the Made in Britain label will become commoner in their stores. The collaboration with the BFC will last three years - I'll be watching with interest.

The Best of British indeed

What I like about this collection is that M&S has resisted the temptation to play safe with middle-aged grunge. What I saw is a collection of beautifully-made classics, for both men and women, interpreted in a snappy and very contemporary way.

The designers have raided the M&S archives for many of these garments, updated with slightly lighter fabrics and modern design and colours. We have here clothes suitable for young and old alike - the benefit of applying a modern touch and details to classic designs.

M&S has worked with many of the great names in British manufacture, some new, like Private White VC and many much older, like Cheaney and Abraham Moon.

Prices? The suit above, for example, will cost £799. The beautiful Prince of Wales check coat below, £599. Knitwear will be £55 to £149. These prices shouldn't put off buyers - they compare with similar but imported items elsewhere - this is British-made from British fabrics.

The excitement in M&S about this collection was palpable. Tony O'Connor, Head of Menswear Design, kindly spent some time showing me the clothes and his enthusiasm was infectious. There is so much there I would have walked away with given the chance, and I'd loved to have tried some of it on - but that will have to wait for later in the year when it hits the stores. We will also see the collection at London Collections:Men next month.

M&S will be offering some outstanding menswear in their other ranges later this year. That can await another post - for me the highlight is Best of British.

For my interview last month with Tony O'Connor, Head of Menswear Design at M&S, see here.

  

All the above images are from Marks and Spencer