MARKS & SPENCER ANNOUNCED AS THE OFFICIAL TAILOR OF THE ENGLAND SENIOR TEAMS AS RETAILER CONTINUES TO EVOLVE ITS FORMAL OFFER
John Stones wears: The Performance Suit Jacket, The zip-polo shirt, The Performance trousers, and The Loafer
Ollie Watkins wears: The Waffle Crew, The Performance Trouser and The Loafer
Harry Kane wears: The Performance Bomber, The Zip Polo, The Performance Trouser and The Loafer
Marks & Spencer has today announced that it is the official tailor for the England senior men’s and women’s football teams. Spanning three years, the partnership builds upon the retailer’s longstanding relationship with The Football Association, dating back to 2007, when M&S became the official suit supplier to the England Senior Men’s Team.
The in-house-designed collections will be worn by the England Teams, with the 67-piece menswear collection available for customers to shop at M&S.com and in selected stores from August 18th, ahead of the upcoming tournament schedule. The women’swear collection will debut next year, celebrating the England Senior Women’s Team’s success as European Champions and their journey to the summer tournament in 2023.
Redefining formalwear: THE FA MENSWEAR COLLECTION
With the pandemic fast-forwarding the relaxation of formalwear, the 2022 collection reflects a new era of dressing and encapsulates how M&S has been reshaping its offer for today’s customer. Championing in-house design, the collection brings together performance separates, knitwear, and suiting with footwear and accessories that can be worn together or separately for a variety of occasions and looks. Hero styles include double and single-breasted jackets, a performance trouser with four-way stretch, relaxed half-zip polos, a bomber, and Harrington jackets.
Wes Taylor, Director of Menswear, said: “After meeting with The England Men’s Team and discussing their needs, it became apparent almost immediately that they wanted a collection that delivered on style and versatility, allowed for individual preferences, but still came across as a cohesive look. Importantly, they wanted something that better reflected who they really are. So rather than the structured suit, shirt, and tie “uniform” we’re used to seeing, we’ve created a more extensive smart-separates collection that places comfort, performance, and sustainability at its heart.”
The full collection will be available to shop on M&S.com in 20 larger destination stores, and smaller collection edits will be available in a further 107 stores across England. Items in the collection range from £12.50 to £150 for a pure wool peacoat with limited edition FA Badging.
Through the partnership, M&S is reaffirming its commitment to delivering trusted value and reassuring customers that it will never compromise on quality and standards, which include making clothes to last and using materials that have been sourced with care. The FA menswear collection includes cotton sourced through the Better Cotton programme, the use of natural fibres such as wool (woven in UK mills), Responsible Wool Standard Merino wool, and the use of recycled materials such as recycled polyester. M&S’s unique innovations, including StormwearTM, Cool ComfortTM, and Dura HeelTM technology, ensure the collection is both comfortable and durable, as well as stylish.
Richard Price, Director of Clothing & Home, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with The FA, and the move from suit sponsor to official tailor to both our men’s and women’s senior teams reflects how we have evolved our formalwear for a new era of smart dressing.
Working with these inspiring sporting role models, the collections will help us connect with new and existing customers and bring to life what today’s M&S is all about: contemporary, stylish clothing with an unwavering commitment to trusted value.”
Navin Singh, The FA’s Commercial Director, said: “We are delighted to renew our partnership with Marks and Spencer and collaborate on a clothing collection that is reflective of our national teams. The FA and M&S are steeped in history, but this modern range aligns with our young, exciting, and relatable players. We are sure that the new men’s and women’s wear will prove popular.”
The collection complements M&S’s broader formal offer, which brings together more relaxed items alongside formalwear to show how they can be dressed together. The retailer’s Smart Edit, “Smart, Redefined,” comprises smart items that can be worn as separates or together for a variety of occasions, with the Flex Trouser with a half elasticated waist, the jersey smart separates, and slim fit blazers all proving increasingly popular.
Wes Taylor, Director of Menswear, commented: “The appetite for smart dressing is back, as evidenced by the huge spike in customer searches for formalwear this year. However, customers’ shopping habits have evolved and show that their confidence has grown in creating more relaxed and versatile formal looks using separates. In this new era of formalwear, it’s all about being able to flex for different occasions, from knitwear under blazers to smart trousers with trainers to bomber jackets, half zips, and macs over a suit.”
Marketing campaign
The launch will be supported by an omnichannel marketing campaign across stores, PR, media, digital, and social channels, which includes imagery of six players wearing a selection of key styles from the collection.
The collection comprises a series of edits to make it easier for customers to shop around style or occasion, including The Performance collection (precisely cut suits with natural stretch and StormwearTM finish), The Modern Wool collection (contemporary suits cut from premium pure wool, woven in England), and The Eveningwear collection (finely crafted wool and velvet suits, plus sateen stretch shirts).
Both instore and on M&S.com, the range will provide outfit inspiration to give customers greater confidence in putting together individual pieces, and looks will be updated monthly to reflect key looks for the changing seasons.
The dedicated hub on M&S.com will offer a sneak peek behind the scenes with the England team, and two live shopping shows are planned for August and October, where M&S experts will provide customers with inspiration and insider tips on how to style the collection.
THE FA WOMENSWEAR COLLECTION
The upcoming womenswear collection will comprise a coordinated edit of tailoring and smart separates, which will be available to shop online and in selected stores in 2023.
Maddy Evans, Director of Womenswear, said: “We’re incredibly excited and honored to be dressing the talented and inspiring England Senior Women’s Team on their journey to next year’s summer tournament. We look forward to unveiling a collection that feels contemporary and unexpected, with pieces that challenge the traditional idea of ‘power dressing’. Watch this space!”
