Yeah! M&S backs Made in GB for men

An unexpected pleasure at the Richard James show during London Collections:Men was to bump into my old pal Tony O’Connor, head of menswear design at Marks & Spencer. Tony brought Richard in to M&S with his “Savile Row Inspired” collection. The really cheering news for autumn 2013 is that M&S is backing UK textile and clothing manufacturers with a capsule range of menswear, men’s footwear and men’s accessories that will appear in its five top stores and in its online store.

This is very much a long-term, not to say philanthropic, initiative from M&S because it cannot be making money from this initial Made in Great Britain range. Even though two-piece suits may retail for more than £600 (exact prices are yet to be set), which is way above the chain’s average cost, such a price ticket is way below what premium retailers would charge for similar garments made in GB of British cloth.

The official press launch will be in May, but The Musgrave Manifesto got a sneak preview and I was very impressed by what I saw. Cloths from excellent mills like Robert Noble, Abraham Moon and Alfred Brown, plus Harris Tweed, have been used in masculine fashion styles for suits, jackets and coats. The principal manufacturer of the tailoring is Cheshire Clothing in Crewe. I was so pleased to see a strong showing of double-breasted jackets.

I only saw a handful of garments, but the quality of make and attention to detail is very good. The footwear, mainly from Cheaney, is brilliant.

Says Tony O’Connor, who was looking the business in his DB flannel chalk stripe and merino rollneck, says: “For the development of the collection we are looking back through our rich British heritage and extensive archive and working closely with the very best home-grown fabric suppliers and manufacturers to produce a collection focused on true craftsmanship and quality.”

It’s very encouraging to see M&S setting an example for what can be achieved with British manufacturers. Other major retailers and brands, please note.

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