A-listers and AI stylists: how high-street brands are staging a fashion comeback

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Gap, M&S, Topshop and more are taking a leaf from luxury label playbooks to satisfy savvier generation of shoppers…

High street brands that boomed in the noughties before the squeeze of both sustainably minded consumers and the rise of ultra-cheap online labels are staging a comeback.

This time, rather than focusing solely on trend-led affordable designs, the names familiar to any shopper are courting luxury fashion, A-list collaborations and enhanced services in an attempt to engage consumers.

Think Gap’s new collection with Victoria Beckham. Or Marks & Spencer showcasing a covetable catwalk collection at London fashion week with celebrities including Joan Collins and assorted gen Z Gallaghers in attendance, then making it available to buy immediately, with half of the pieces under £50. Topshop relaunched last year and now has concessions in 30 John Lewis stores, as well as the luxury retailer Liberty.

Lisa Illis, the head of design at M&S, describes their recent catwalk show as “making the buzz of London fashion week accessible to everyone”. She says “more fashion-informed seasonal collections” have seen the number of under-35s shopping at the retailer increase 16% year on year.

The Hollywood stylist Law Roach, whose clients include Zendaya, has been appointed stylist-in-residence at Asos, where his influence will be felt not just in advertising campaigns, but also through his suggestions on different items from across the site to wear together.

“In research, we found that 68% of consumers say what they need to know is how to wear something,” says Vanessa Spence, Asos’s executive vice-president of brand.