We have seen and bought into many different trends throughout 2024, such as kitten heels, quiet luxury and the boho look as we saw a 90’s and 00’s resurgence. But a new year means new trends, and we are all excited to see what is to come. Head of womenswear design at M&S, Lisa Illis, reveals what we can expect from 2025, ways to style these new trends and how this has influenced next year’s collection at M&S.
Factors currently driving consumer purchasing decisions
In a recent survey conducted by M&S, price was the most significant factor when it came to impacting consumers purchasing decisions, with 58% of respondents saying it’s their top consideration, followed by quality at 46%. And it is no surprise that for women aged 25-34, trendiness and social media have become more notable influences, with 14% citing social media as a key driver of their fashion choices.
But more and more, our buying habits tend to be influenced by our social life. Whether it’s for a birthday, office party or holiday, we seemingly appear to buy clothes for those special occasions. As Lisa puts it:
“Customers are motivated by events in their lives such as party and celebrations at Christmas, and holidays in summer, very broadly speaking. We are finding that customers want more trend informed newness in their ranges. They want clothes that make them feel feminine and confident, are versatile, and can be styled in different ways, clothes that live beyond a season! They trust that if we are delivering a trend, it will be the right one, at the right time. For example, choosing from a purple and aubergine palette for this autumn.”
What trends to expect in 2025
The appreciation and desire to explore fresh styles and influences have grown over the last couple of years. Lisa says that “Over the last few seasons, we have seen that our customers appreciate the trends we are presenting, and the way we are making them easy to buy into, ensuring versatility and relevance.”
Some of the trend’s M&S will be presenting over Spring into Summer 25 are:
- Lace and Bows
- Feminine and boho looks
- Faux leather and suede, especially in chocolate or tan
- Fringing
- Metallic
- Modern Utility, with a focus on green, khaki, and stone tones
- Bubble hems
- Red
- A variety of prints and patterns, such as spotted and full bloom prints
- Soft yet playful colours such as raspberry and frosted Pink
Fashion and data: how does it all fit together?
M&S have been responding and translating these current trends in their own design department, as well as working out predictions for the following season. When asked about how herself and the design team manages this, Lisa speaks highly of her team’s data-driven, yet creative approach. “We are fortunate enough to have a small internal trend team who gather insights from catwalks, streetstyle, and other sources, that inspire the designs team. We incorporate these insights into a design and commercial brief which delivers monthly and seasonal trends. We also act as “trusted editors” in assessing which trends are relevant for us as a business. Some would not fit with our brand image and would not resonate with our customers.”
Lisa emphasises that they design and build out the ranges across A/W and S/S to be fundamental building blocks for everyone’s wardrobe – everyday pieces, elevated basics and hard-working staples will always be a focus but also care about creating those more memorable and special pieces for events and parties.
“Within each range we are always considering previous commercial successes but equally we know customers. Female customers enjoy clothes, and so the blend of newness, familiar, essential and exciting fresh trends interpreted in a considered way is a good formula. We are regularly asking customers their views on launches, how clothes fit and seasonal campaigns to ensure our ranges strikes a perfect balance.”
