A Hundred Years of M&S: How a Leeds Market Stall Dressed Britain

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

There is a reasonable argument that no institution has shaped how British people actually dress more than Marks & Spencer. Not the designers, not the magazines, not the boutiques — a chain of shops selling sensible knickers, school jumpers and machine-washable jumpers to more or less everyone.

M&S marks a hundred years of fashion in 2026, dated from the opening of its drapery department in 1926. It’s a fitting moment to look at how a Leeds market stall ended up as the default wardrobe of a nation.

British Fashion on Le Magasin

A Hundred Years of M&S: How a Leeds Market Stall Dressed Britain