Possibly one of the most exciting collaborations in supermarket chic history, Alexa Chung teamed up with Marks and Spencer’s to produce a collection of reworked archive favourites. We got the low down at the ASOS GFW Take Space today from Faye Tillbrook and Hannah Staines, who were once young graduates just like you! After the truly monumental response from the media after Alexa Chung was pictured last year wearing an archive M&S suede skirt, the team decided to approach Alexa for a collaboration. Alexa was very clear that her passion was for creating an archive collection rather than her own line, which led to the ground breaking fashion line that launched in April and immediately sold out in the 66 stores it featured in around the country. Faye insists that the designs being as close to the original as possible was very important to the vision of the collection.
The archive, or “giant fridge” as coined by Alexa, in Leeds, was an insight into the history of Marks and Spencer, which held every one of their designs ever made. It was this “giant fridge” that Alexa used to curate her collection by reworking existing designs, some of which didn’t have to be altered in any way. “I just found the future of Marks and Spencer in the past” said Alexa, an undeniably impressive method of promotion that could appeal to the vintage scavenger in all of us. The beauty of using archives was it’s clear appeal to all different age groups, representing a welcome blast from the past for the older generations interested in the collection, and an exciting new vision for those of us first being introduced to the pieces. This was exactly the desired effect, with Alexa saying, “These are the pieces you’ve borrowed from your parent’s wardrobe”. This dynamic new collaboration from our wonderful sponsors has been given the stamp of approval from every generation, so if you haven’t seen it yet be sure to get your hands on what’s left of the range!