- M&S is selling quiet luxury furnishings like Soho Home’s for much less
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It’s dominated the conversation in fashion recently, and now M&S is coming for homeware.
Taking a leaf out of Aldi and Lidl’s books, the retailer’s clothing department appears to be drawing inspiration from other high-end labels to create its new and trending items.
And after its recent successes, M&S interiors bosses now seem to be following suit, having created ‘quiet luxury’ items that resemble Soho Home’s offerings.
Soho Home, the upmarket homeware and interior design studio behind private members’ club Soho House, is often a go-to retailer for celebrities.
Now, likely hoping to profit off Soho Home’s somewhat inaccessible price points, M&S is giving customers a taste of the brand’s charming interiors at a much more affordable price.
Take, for instance, M&S’s Evelyn Floor Lamp. With its wooden bobbin stem and softly textured cone-shaped shade, it looks indistinguishable from Soho Home’s Greyson Floor Lamp.
The only apparent difference is the £716 price discrepancy, given the former is priced at £895, compared to the alternative version’s price of £179.
Other examples of M&S looking to the luxury brand include its £229 Hex Marble Top Side Table, which is comparable to the £1,295 Railton Bedside Table at Soho Home.
Then there’s a Cocoon Faux Sheepskin Swivel Snuggle Chair, priced at £1,079 – a high price point, but still less than Soho Home’s £1,695 take on a boucle armchair.
The same applies to smaller furnishings, and the supermarket’s £25 Pure Cotton Textured Fringe Cushion resembles Soho Home’s £250 Elton Square Cushion.
The list continues with vases, with M&S apparently looking to Soho Home’s marble patterning featured on its £150 Sesso vase in its £19.50 cylinder version.
The supermarket’s homeware department is likely hoping for similar successes to its fashion section, which has experienced an incredible turnaround that sees the store worlds away from the days when the retailer’s own CEO admitted their clothing was associated with a certain frumpiness.
Today, it serves as a prime example of how to meet consumer needs by accommodating the demand for newness with standout pieces and wardrobe builders.
Now, while the brand hasn’t alienated its core base, there is the addition of unmistakably on-trend items lining the racks to tempt both younger buyers and millennial women who are very much invested in looking good – as well as celebrity collaborations with the likes of Sienna Miller and former Made in Chelsea star Binky Felstead.
So, just how did M&S pull it all off? The answer lies largely with Maddy Evans, the former fashion director of Topshop, who was hired in 2019 as head of buying and promoted to director of womenswear in 2022.
Her presence has helped M&S fill the crucial gap left by what was one of the high street’s popular brands by offering must-have pieces such as a faux croc leather trenchcoat that is rapidly selling out and being re-stocked.
It’s also adopted a faster fashion approach, meaning new items can move from the drawing board to the shelf in as little as a month – enabling the retailer to react to demand and the newest trends.
Speaking previously to the Daily Mail, Ms Evans said: ‘We’re pleased to see womenswear achieve its highest ever style rankings, particularly with the 35-54 customer – a clear sign our focus is landing and our ranges are resonating with more people more often.
‘It’s important that we keep up momentum so this season we’re supercharging newness across the board: from dresses and partywear through to denim, knitwear and outerwear.
‘We’re investing in fabrics, silhouettes and trend-led pieces our customers want; while still delivering the value they trust us for.’
