// M&S to bring back St Michael brand after 21 years
// The retailer scrapped the line in 2000 after 72 years
// It intends this year to start selling menswear using the vintage label
Marks & Spencer has announced it is bringing back its St Michael brand after a 21-year absence in a bid to introduce vintage clothes to younger consumers.
M&S scrapped the line in 2000 after 72 years in an effort to turn around its fortunes.
The retailer said that it intends this year to start selling menswear using the vintage label first launched in 1928.
READ MORE: M&S pulls suits from more than half of its stores
While M&S has not yet decided to officially relaunch the brand, it will be selling two items of St Michael menswear clothing – a rugby shirt with the St Michael logo on the front, and a sweatshirt in two colours.
Items from the collection have since proved popular among shoppers on online vintage clothes stores Ebay and Depop.
There are currently just under 16,000 “St Michael” tagged items of clothing on Ebay and around 6000 on Depop, including items such as 1970s paisley shirt dresses and 1940s woollen skirts, typically selling for between £5 and £25.
Last month, M&S revealed that sales of clothes and homeware were up by around 92 per cent in the first half of 2021 compared with last year.
Sales were just 2.6 per cent lower than in 2019.
M&S has hiked its profit forecasts for the full year, saying it is on track to beat its earlier guidance of between £300 million and £350 million.
The move sent shares to their highest level in almost 18 months. The stock has almost doubled since the pandemic first hit, with M&S now worth £3.6 billion.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette’s free daily email newsletter
