Back in fashion
Vintage revival for classic St Michael label
IN THE Eighties, Marks and Spencer’s St Michael label was a hallmark for shoppers looking to buy quality, British-made clothes.
But its appeal gradually faded, pieces bearing the name languished in wardrobes and, in 2000, the brand was discontinued.
Now though, perhaps proving the adage that everything comes back around in fashion, clothes by the St Michael brand have found a new audience: young, British fashion lovers.
St Michael pieces – all of which are at least 20 years old – are now considered genuine “vintage”. Pieces from the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties are being resold on websites such as ebay and Depop, and have typically held their value far better than second-hand pieces from more recent collections.
Despite M&S’S modern struggles, with 7,000 job cuts announced last week, a new appetite to buy treasures from its heyday has emerged.
There are more than 14,000 St Michael garments for sale on ebay (with items added daily) as sellers realise the potential to remarket old M&S wares as vintage.
“I have noted a recent increase in the sales of St Michael,” says Hannah Stacpoole, founder of salutolondon.com, an online vintage store.
“It’s mainly online, particularly with the growth of Instagram sellers that have emerged through lockdown who are trying to sell vintage [clothes] as a high-quality and sustainable option at accessible price points.”
Many sellers on ebay don’t even mention Marks and Spencer in their advert, only the St Michael name. “I often have younger customers who are unaware that the two are the same brand,” says Stacpoole.
“It is common knowledge though among traders that St Michael items are long lasting and great quality. It is incredible to see the quality considering they were sold at high-street prices.”
A Sixties chiffon blouse in a psychedelic bubblegum pink – listed in excellent condition – recently sold on ebay for £9.50. A lilac-belted tea dress from the Eighties on sale for £26.95 is not dissimilar to the styles currently being sold by designer brand Alessandra Rich for thousands of pounds.
There are even proud photographs of the “Made in the UK” labels – a reminder that much of the current M&S clothing collection is made in Georgia (dresses), India (blouses) or China (cashmere jumpers).
The pieces have generally held their value or it has increased. On ebay, it’s £49.99 for a Seventies prairie dress, or £65 for a Fifties floral, flare-skirt dress. The average Seventies dress cost £3.99 – the average wage in 1976 was £70 a week for a man, £45.30 for a woman.
“St Michael pieces from the Eighties have a specific label,” explains Jennifer Mitchell-mcnally, owner of Liverpool’s Overdressed Vintage boutique of the black and red tags.
“They are of the utmost quality. Whenever I source some, they’re never in stock for long.”
The St Michael brand, originally registered in 1928, was abandoned by M&S at the end of 1999. The shop’s profits had dropped by 50 per cent that year, and Peter Salsbury, who was chief executive at the time, was planning a shake-up in order to appeal to more fashion-conscious audiences.
St Michael is not the only high street name to see a resurgence online while its modern iteration suffers.
Just as it became clear that Laura Ashley was doomed, interest in its now-vintage clothes boomed online. Its floral patterns were suddenly the height of fashion again in the spring of 2020.