Company hopes to build on recent womenswear sales boost, with leopard print coat and black velvet jumpsuit set to be standouts
Marks & Spencer fashion made headlines twice last month. First it was announced that, after almost four years of decline, sales of general merchandise – including womenswear – rose 0.7% in the final quarter of the last financial year. Secondly, its tan suede 70s midiskirt – already seen on every fashion week front row – finally went on general sale, swiftly selling out despite costing £199.
The precise relationship between these two events is not easy to unpick. Despite the fanfare surrounding the suede skirt and the pink coat which preceded it as the mascot of M&S fashion, the reality of the business is that such high-end purchases make up only a tiny percentage of sales.
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